Konoha's Snow Fox
by KayouKitsune
Summary: On his sixth birthday, Naruto is beaten until he is at death's door. He is revived with the sacrifice of the Kyuubi, and reborn as Konoha's Snow Fox. Pairing undecided. Fem Naruto. Cold/Distant Naruto
1. Beginnings

A small child stumbled down the streets of Konoha, his steps dragging through the snow and slush slowly. At first glance, nobody would notice anything amiss; thinking the way he was hunched over under the cloak was from the cold. Nobody saw, or cared to see, the trail of blood that was left behind in the wake of the child. Why would they, when it was just the demon child, the lowest scum of the village. As the child kept going, he began to lean against the walls of the clan compounds. He didn't know where he was going. Honestly, he had nowhere to go to. The orphanage had just thrown him out, right in front of a mob that wanted to show the demon he wasn't welcome in their village.

'Heh….happy birthday to me.' Was Naruto's only thought at the moment.

This was the unfortunate child's fifth birthday, and the worst beating he had ever received. He stopped walking to lean against a gate as he tried to figure out where he was. This part of the village was one he had never dared to venture. The first and only time, he had been thrown out by some guards with eyes that made them look blind. He took a deep breath, wincing as pain shot through his body, and let it out in a slow bubbling hiss. He brought his hand up, and went to push off of the gate. Thanks to his rather odd streak of luck, he placed it right upon the symbol in the center of the gate. As his blood came in contact with the symbol, it caused an array of things to happen.

The first was the wards protecting the property going down for a few seconds.

The second was the boy vanished from where he was standing, teleported elsewhere.

The third was the wards going back up, this time with several more active, causing the entire compound to be shrouded in a dark haze.

The fourth, and most alarming for some, was a siren going off in the Hokage's office.

Why did all of this happen? The best answer to that would be whom owned the compound. It was the former home of the Fourth Hokage and his wife. Both Minato and Kushina were quite adept at fuuinjutsu, to a degree that would make most people that were called seal masters look like children playing with paint brushes. Minato had worked the wards carefully so that every time someone accessed them, he was warned if they were grievously injured. In days past, this sequence of events would have him teleporting back to the compound from his office to see what was wrong with his wife, the only other person able to use the wards. Unfortunately, he died five years ago sealing the Kyuubi. Another unfortunate part of this mess is that nobody knew about the alarm that he had placed. So the man that was his both replacement and successor, the Sandaime Hokage, never knew that something like this could happen.

Said Hokage was sitting at his desk, mouth gaping like a fish and completely ignoring the alarm at the moment. Scattered all over the office were pages of paperwork, hundreds and possibly thousands of them. He had just managed to catch up against his cursed nemesis, and had everything ready to be taken out and filed. Now all of his work was for nothing. The aged Hokage looked around at the mess, and finally did the only thing he could do. He broke down in tears. The four ANBU that were always stationed in the office for his protection watched in shock as one of the strongest shinobi to ever live in the village broke down and cried like a little child being told their puppy ran away. They stood there as the minutes ticked by, each one wondering if they were supposed to stay hidden, or do something to comfort or help their leader. Finally, Sarutobi looked up from his desk, flames burning in his eyes. He stood up, his posture and expression revealing the powerful man hidden behind the frail exterior. As he looked around, he swore that whomever had caused this would pay, and in blood. He looked around the office, stopping at the picture of Minato. On the wall underneath it were the words "TROUBLE AT HOME!" in bright orange letters. He paused at seeing that, muttering under his breath.

"Wait, nobody lives there…and nobody could trigger something like this. They're both dead, so then the only way is….if….SHIT!"

As he realized what the alarm meant, he reached into his desk, grabbing a small scroll before running out of the office as if the gods were chasing him. The four ANBU followed suit, chasing after their leader to ensure that nothing happened to him. They couldn't figure out what was going on, and were concerned that it could be a trap for the Hokage. The five of them arrived moments later in the district where the richest clans lived, in front of the warded off compound that was supposed to be empty. Sarutobi looked at the gate, his eyes locking on the blood smeared clan symbol of the Namikaze clan. He looked around, and noted the trail of blood that was bright against the snow; the crimson stains glaring out from the pristine white as if accusing him of his failure. Finally, he opened the scroll that he had grabbed from his office. Releasing the first seal produced a vial of blood and a slip of paper with a complicate seal inscribed upon it. He set the seal paper on the clan insignia before opening the vial of blood and pouring it upon the seal. As the seal began to glow, he placed his right hand upon it, turning to address the ANBU around him.

"Wait here, anyone that tries to get in is to be taken down with extreme prejudice. Keep them alive and take them to T&I if you can, if not, kill them."

The ANBU bowed a little as the Hokage vanished in a swirl of purple and black energy. Once he vanished, the four masked shinobi all leapt away in a shunshin, taking up sentry points around the compound. As they remained outside, the streets remained empty, for the moment.

Inside the compound, Hiruzen stood up from where he had been teleported, shaking his head. He never could get used to that seal; no matter how many times Minato had used them on him. He dusted his robes off as he walked out of the room, heading for the room he knew Naruto to be. After making his way through the building he was in, and into the main one, his steps rapidly taking him to his destination. Finally, he opened the door to the room he wanted, and stopped dead in his tracks with a horrified gasp. There on the ground in front of him was a body that could best be described as mangled. How the boy had managed to survive this far was a mystery to him. Broken bones could be seen sticking out of both legs and arms, a large flap of skin was hanging from his face, and one of his eyeballs dangled down by the optic nerves. His right hand was best described as destroyed.

The Hokage reached towards the boy hesitantly, fearing that he wouldn't find him alive. When his hand got within twelve inches of the body, a tendril of blood red energy appeared and slammed into the aged man with enough force to throw him into the wall behind him. He grunted as his body impacted the unforgiving stone, and took his time getting to his feet. He rubbed the back of his head, massaging the spot that he knew was going to bruise shortly. He looked at the boy again, and smiled a little. He was alive, and his tenant was going to make sure that he stayed that way. The aged man looked around the room finally, and began to notice all of the seals painted on the floor, walls, even the ceiling. He had no idea what they were for, the designs making the seals he knew look like a child's scribbling. Finally, he looked back to the child on the floor, wishing that he could approach to take him to a hospital. With a defeated sigh, he sat down to wait and see what happened, since there was little else he could do.

**Naruto's Mindscape**

The greatest of all of the tailed demons growled under its breath as it woke, opening its eyes and looking around slowly to try and figure out where it was. Obviously, it had been sealed again, though the cage it was in was completely different from the previous one. The last person that had sealed the giant fox inside of themselves had given it room to move, a place to do more than simply exist. This horrible construction that it found to be its new home was cramped, too small to do anything, and it was dark. What could have happened to its last host? She had been wild, violent, and aggressive. But most importantly, she had cared at least a little for her prisoner, even going so far as to spend time talking to the demon. The Kyuubi looked outside of the cage, to try and figure out what could have woken it up. Normally, when it is sealed, it stays dormant for several years, unless the host holding it did something drastic to wake it up. Right outside the cage, leaning against the bars, was a tiny body. The demon bent its head down, and sniffed lightly at it to see if it was alive or dead.

The tiny human was alive, but barely, injured so badly that even in their own mindscape, they couldn't move or talk. The fox carefully worked its claws through the bard, snagging one through the clothes of the little one, and pulling it into the cage as gently as possible. Once it was inside, the demon began to examine it in greater detail, getting a better whiff of its scent. This was the offspring of the demon's last host! The Kyuubi had known she was pregnant, even before it was told by the woman. But she had also said that she would be the last one to host it, and planned on freeing the demon somewhere far away from humans after the birth of her kit. So why was it sealed inside of her progeny, and in a seal so different from what she used?

The demon considered this for some time, before coming to a conclusion. Someone else had done the sealing, someone not related to her, or the demon's first host. The demon sat back, and carefully began to examine its memories, working hard to piece together what it could. After a time, Kyuubi remembered what was probably the most important thing out of all that had happened the night it was re-sealed; it had been controlled by someone with the final level of the Sharingan. Because of the seal that contained it being weakened during childbirth, someone had been able to break it free, and hypnotize it into doing what they wished. This cycle of being controlled and hypnotized was beginning to wear upon the demon. Was it really that hard for humans to leave things alone? Apparently so. The demon looked down at the child in front of it, head tilted to the side. The poor things was best described as mutilated, their body mauled and torn to include the genitalia making it male being removed. The demon leaned down, and focused on the child, delving into their mind to explore their memories, to see what had caused this turn of events. It worked backwards from the moment the child went unconscious, as far back as they could remember. What the demon saw was appalling, even for something like it was. This child's very own kind had turned against it, beating and torturing it whenever they could. How could any species do this to one of their own kind? None of the wild animals would do such to a harmless kit.

Pulling back from the child's memories, the demon considered what options there were. The most merciful would be to let it die. Not even the healing skills of the greatest of the bijuu would be able to fix everything that was wrong with the child. At most, it would live its life as a genderless cripple, unable to even walk from one place to another without help. The demon thought about this, and realized something. It was tired of this, of living caged and unable to be free, of being used for whatever plans these humans had. There was another way, a way to fix this poor kit that lay in front of it, though it would mean the death of the demon within. Perhaps though, that would be for the best. Let another rise to take its place, and deal with the things it had dealt with. Now was the time to move on, and experience what lay beyond the gates of death.

Unfortunately, the demon only had experience with the makeup of one human. That meant the child would end up a lot more like its mother. Another problem is that the human body cannot sustain the level of energy needed for this drastic measure. So, for this to work, the demon would have to make the child a cross between itself and the child's mother. It would become a demon with a human body at the least. With a heavy sigh, the Kyuubi began to mold its chakra, weaving it in a way that had never been done before. As it continued the preparations, it drew upon the reserves of the child, working its chakra into the mix as well, to ensure everything went as smoothly as before. As the demon prepared for the last act it would do before death, it spoke a few words to the unconscious child.

_**"Live free kit."**_

**Back In The Real World**

Hiruzen sat upon a chair that he had released from a storage scroll, half asleep from hours of waiting. He shot up in alarm, now fully awake, as he felt a sudden spike of energy. In front of him, the chakra of the Kyuubi began to swirl around the injured boy, growing denser as time passed on. It began to form a blood red vortex around the broken body, the energy whipping around violently. Interestingly enough, the air in the room remained still, as if the chakra wasn't really there. As the energy continued to grow, it began to be shot through with streaks of blue. The streaks grew in frequency, until they melded fully with the red, changing it from the color of blood to a purple that would put the purest amethyst to shame. The now purple chakra began to condense, until it formed a shining barrier that hid the child from view. The feeling off the energy was oppressive and overwhelming, as if the Hokage was sitting at the bottom of the ocean. What interested him the most was the changes in the energy. At first, it had felt like when the Kyuubi attacked; hatred so powerful it defied words. As the blue began to merge with it, the feelings of hatred and blood lust began to fade, until they were gone completely. The new chakra was overpowering and mind numbing in the potency and strength to it, but there was no malice. The only thing that could be felt from the new chakra was a sense of peace and contentment.

Outside of the compound, the entire village could feel the energy that was being gathered. The older shinobi and civilians quaking in fear as they once again felt the wrath and anger of the Kyuubi. As the energy changed though, a hush fell over the village, the emotional backlash from the new chakra silencing the populace in awe as they felt the newer and more powerful energy take away the effects of the Kyuubi's chakra. People began to make their way to the source of this phenomenon, curious as to what was going on.

One person in particular was anxious to find out the truth as to what exactly was going on. He had just arrived in Konoha, with only two things on his mind. The first was to report to his sensei, the Hokage. The second was to find his godson and take him out to dinner and give him a birthday present. When he felt the rise of the Kyuubi's chakra, all thoughts of seeing the Hokage vanished from his mind, as he hurried to try and save his godson, his mind coming up with thousands of horrible things that could have befallen the child. His geta clattered against the street as he ran, hoping to make it there in time. Sadly, he was already too late by several hours. If he had arrived a few hours earlier, instead of stopping at a brothel, he would have been with Naruto most of the afternoon and evening, thus preventing the events that led up to the current time.

Back in the Namikaze compound, Hiruzen watched as the barrier surrounding Naruto began to fade slowly, growing thinner with every passing second. With all of his attention on the chakra and child, he failed to notice something important. The massive release of Yang chakra had affected his body without an equal amount of Yin to balance it. His body had regressed several years in age, taking him back in physical health and appearance to a time that had passed already. He wasn't in his absolute prime, but he was close to twenty years younger than before the night had started, and would soon realize it.

The Hokage continued to watch the barrier, his breath pausing as he saw movement inside of it. A small arm reached up to touch the chakra construct, which shattered at the contact. The pipe that was almost always present in the Hokage's mouth clattered to the floor at what was in front of him. Where Naruto had lain now sat a girl of the same age. Her body was untouched, no injuries visible. Her skin had lost the permanent tan that Naruto sported, and now was a creamy white in color. The unruly blond hair was replaced by a waist length curtain of crimson that flowed like liquid silk, contrasting against her skin vividly. Though what startled him the most were the things that weren't human, a pair of fox ears and a single tail that were the purest white imaginable, the color so pristine that they seemed to give off their own light. Everything combined together to give the child an ethereal beauty that was almost inhuman. The Hokage sat there, stunned beyond words. His mind began to work overtime, considering how the child looked now, how would she look when she grew up? He shook his head, leaving that thought for another time. He stood up, approaching carefully, and knelt down a couple of feet in front of her. He looked into the slit violet eyes, and asked a very stupid question.

"Naruto, is that you?"

* * *

**A/N:** Greetings everyone! Welcome to my new story, which I hope you like. The idea struck me while I was working on the newest chapter of my other story (Vulpine Chaos), and just wouldn't leave me alone. So now, I bring it to you.

For those that are following my other story, I promise to have a chapter out soon, hopefully before next week. I do apologize for the long delay, but a lot has happened that killed my motivation to write. I am back now though, and hope that nothing else will interfere in my writing time.

Please read and review. The more reviews I get, the more eager I am to write!

Kayou


	2. Confrontations and Revelations

So then, here is the second chapter of Snow Fox. I am going to be blunt. This story is going to be extremely detailed as it goes into the depths of psychosis and depravity. This will not be like the anime/manga/most fics which gloss over the more gruesome aspects of things. I also will not put breaks in and warn readers about incoming things, simply because I feel that detracts horribly from the story.

In other words, this is your only warning. Things are going to be dark in the story, and it's going to go places that most people don't like.

Also, I got a review talking about the length of my character's hair. I have a couple of reasons for it. One is that I miss my hair being that long….but everything has a place in the story. I won't say exactly what, but there will be a special reason for it.

Now, onto the story!

"Naruto, is that you?"

The girl looked up to the Hokage, blinking as she opened her eyes. Gone were the cerulean blue eyes that shone with an untamable joy and happiness. In their place was a pair of violet eyes that matched the chakra that had filled the room. As they locked onto the Hokage's eyes, the final detail separating them from their previous look was the slit pupil. As the Hokage looked into the unusual eyes, he began to grow captivated, the strange orbs drawing him in. His whole world became a sea of amethyst, his mind going fuzzy and numb as he became hypnotized. He suddenly jerked back when his face was stung by a strong slap. He shook his head a little, trying to regain his focus. The girl looked at him, concern and fear showing plainly on her face.

"Jiji, are you all right? You were staring at me and went still. What's going on and why does my voice sound like this?"

Panic began to creep into the girl's voice, and understandably so. Gone was the voice of a normal young boy. Now she spoke with a voice that sounded like a teenage woman, the sweetly beautiful sound of her voice only adding to the captivating air the child gave off. The aged Hokage shook his head again, and smiled softly at the child. This was going to take a lot of explaining. He just hoped that the child wouldn't freak out too much.

"Naruto, your body has gone through a drastic change. When you were brought here, you were beyond a point that most people would die. The best that I can figure out is that the only way to save your life was a complete rebuilding of everything. I don't know how to say this in an easy way, so I will be straightforward with you. On the day you were born, the Kyuubi attacked our village. All of the children have been told that the Yondaime killed it, sacrificing his life in the process. This sadly, was a lie. Creatures like the Kyuubi cannot be killed, only contained. Minato sealed the demon away, using a seal that sacrifices his life to complete it. With the weaker bijuu, they can be sealed into an object. The Kyuubi cannot though. The amount of power it holds would simply burn through and destroy anything it was stored in. The only way to seal that demon was into a person. Though, it has to be a certain type of person, someone born to the Uzumaki clan. Before the night of your birth, the Kyuubi was sealed into your mother, and should have stayed there. Someone attacked the night you were born, and freed the demon while the seal on your mother was weak. Somehow, they controlled it and made it attack the village."

The Hokage paused, watching as the child sat back, her entire body trembling slightly. He reached down and picked her up, pulling the shaking body into his lap with her back against his chest. He wrapped his robes around her, hugging her tightly. The next part was what made him worry, afraid she would hate him for telling her before that he didn't know her parents.

"There is more to this, a lot more. You were chosen for one other reason besides being an Uzumaki. Minato was married in secret to your mother. He sacrificed his life to give this burden to the only person he could trust, his only child. As for what happened to you, I can only hazard an educated guess. Your mother often said that the Kyuubi was an honorable being, if aloof. When it realized that your body was so damaged, the demon used all of the power it had to rebuild your body. The only problem is that before you, it has only had female hosts, so it has no knowledge of the male human body. Judging by your hair color, and the change in texture, I think it used what it knew of your mother's body to rebuild yours. Though, its knowledge was incomplete, and it ended up finishing the healing with what it knew of its own body."

The girl started to sob softly at his words. She had a family, and they had given their lives to save hers. Someone had actually loved her. All her life, the only thing she could remember was the hatred she got from everyone around her, the beatings, sneers, and often obscene comments. She finally broke down under the strain of all the abuse she had suffered, her tiny body wracked with heavy sobs. The Hokage moved a little, cutting the palm of his hand before making a few handsigns and leaning forward to press his palm against the ground, whispering the name of the summoning technique. He held the girl tightly, rubbing her back as she continued to cry. He looked at the miniature ape that appeared as the smoke cleared.

"I need some help. We are inside several barriers, but I need Jiraiya, Kurenai, Hiashi, and Inoichi here as fast as possible through reverse summoning. Tell Kurenai to come first, and bring some clothes for a six year old girl, just something to cover her up for now. I promise I will explain everything once I understand it, though you can tell the rest of your clan that I am almost certain Kyuubi is dead."

The summon looked at him with mouth agape, more than shocked, before collecting itself and bowing before vanishing in another puff of smoke. The Hokage turned his attention to the child in his lap, whom was now crying silently, having almost worn herself out. As he waited for the people he requested to arrive, he thought carefully about what he had seen so far. From what he knew, the bijuu couldn't be killed by any jutsu known by humans, and when sealed into a human, they would only be affected for a few years by the container's death, reforming as strong as ever. So what would have caused the bijuu to sacrifice itself to heal its container? As he continued to think, the girl in his arms finally stopped crying, but stayed in his lap, sniffling lightly. As the Hokage's mind continued to wander, she started looking around the room curiously.

The room itself wasn't opulent or overly rich looking. In truth, it was rather spartan. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all plain white. The only thing in the room was a rack of scrolls along one side. The rack took up the entire wall, and held hundreds; maybe even thousands of scrolls, the Hokage couldn't be sure. Each time he looked, everything seemed to be different on the shelves. After a few minutes, he gave up, figuring it must be some sort of genjutsu. His musings were interrupted by a large cloud of smoke appearing in front of him. It cleared to reveal one of his summons standing beside Kurenai with its hand on her shoulder. The ape let go and vanished as Kurenai stepped forward, looking at the Hokage curiously as she bows a little.

"Hokage-sama, I'm here with the requested items. What's going on though, and where are we?"

The Hokage pulled back his robes, revealing the now passed out child that's in his lap. Explaining this over and over was going to be a hassle for him, though he did have a good idea as to how to fix all of this. It was going to take a lot of work to do, but perhaps he could make up to the child all of the things that had gone wrong in her life.

"This was Naruto. Today, he was beaten and mauled beyond what anyone could take and live. Somehow he made his way into the clan section of the city. He ended up putting his hand on the seal that leads into this compound, and activating the emergency wards, which brought him in here. Anyways, I arrived before his transformation, and I could tell that there was no way anyone could heal all of the damage, especially to between his legs. My best guess is that the trauma woke up the Kyuubi, and it healed him using what it knew of its last host, and its own body, turning the boy into a girl with a few unique features. What I find perplexing is that I cannot sense any of the Kyuubi's chakra anymore. The important thing right now is to get her some clothes, and help her with these changes. I want you to take care of her for right now. You and Anko can stay here, since this is her place. I know you two were looking for somewhere else over the past few weeks, so this should work out admirably. Now, can you take her, and get her dressed before the others arrive?"

Kurenai nodded dumbly as she tried to get over her shock. The cheerful and always smiling blond boy was now a redheaded girl, looking just like his mother. This was probably the most startling thing she had ever seen in her life, and she's seen some crazy things. Gently she took the child, and got her dressed in a simple pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She finished just in time, as the room was filled with a large cloud of smoke; the rest of the people ordered here by the Hokage finally arriving. As he explained the events that had happened to all of them, Kurenai took her time to examine her new ward. The child was beautiful, in a way that could almost be described as angelic. When she grew up, she was going to be a real heartbreaker. She smiled sadly though, knowing that unless things changed drastically in this village, she would be broken by the spiteful people that wanted her dead for housing the Kyuubi. Her musings were interrupted by Inoichi tapping her shoulder.

"Hokage-sama wants Jiraiya to check the seal, and then for me to check her mind while she is asleep. Could you lie her down gently please?"

Kurenai nodded before placing the child on the ground slowly, doing her best not to wake her up. She moved away, giving the others room to work. Jiraiya started his job first, lifting up the child's shirt enough to expose where the seal should be. He placed his fingers along her skin and channeled a small bit of chakra, trying to get the seal to expose itself. He kept trying for several minutes before looking up at the Hokage and shaking his head before standing up and moving away. Inoichi took this as his cue, and placed his fingers on her forehead before whispering the name of his mind walking jutsu. Around him, everyone watched and waited, anxious to hear what he finds.

(Naruto's Mindscape)

Inoichi opened his eyes, and looked around carefully. He was in a giant sewer with pipes running along the walls and ankle deep water covering the floor. He shook his head a little; all of these things were signs of things that weren't right with the child. He steeled his nerves, and started walking forward, his job to find the place that the Kyuubi was sealed up, and see what was going on. He followed the tunnel through twists and turns for an indeterminate amount of time walking. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days. He persevered onward though, intent upon completing his mission. As his feet splashed through the water, he became even more concerned. How could one person be so empty inside that they had not one single good memory? He continued to think on that, growing more and more concerned until he made one final turn. In front of him was the cage that held the demon, or rather, what was left of it. The cage doors were broken and twisted as if ripped open by the beast they contained. He stepped forward, trying to look past them to see if the Kyuubi was still inside. He finally saw something as he was right at the mangled bars, though it was not the giant demon he was expecting. On the ground was a small fox, body emaciated heavily, and it was barely breathing. The creature looked over at the human, staring for several long moments before finally speaking.

"You do not have to fear me, I am dying. It took everything I had to heal the kit. My skills are not with healing or restoring the body beyond a certain point, so I had to do things with raw power instead of finesse. What was done to the kit was beyond abhorrent. Not even I would torture something the way he was. Through me, the kit now has a second chance at life. Perhaps it will be better than before, though I doubt it. Perhaps it would have been best that they died with me, instead of being cursed to live on after what was done. It matters not now, what has been done is done. Go now; spread the tale of how the greatest of all demons was destroyed saving the life of a child your people mutilated beyond recognition and life."

As the last words came out of the mouth of the fox, its body began to dissolve into nothingness until there wasn't a single trace remaining to show it had existed there. Once the demon was gone, the gates and cave vanished as well, fading into a wall covered with pipes to match the rest of the desolate mindscape. Inoichi just stood there, considering what he should do. Would the child have a better life if the village knew, or would it get worse with how she looked now? He decided to leave that decision up to the Hokage for now, and terminated his jutsu, leaving the child's mind. No matter what happened though, he was going to make sure to spend time with the child, and work on healing their mind.

(Real World)

Inoichi stood up, and turned to face the Hokage, his expression carefully neutral. He thought out his words before speaking, knowing that if he said what he wanted to the old man would either strip him of his position, or have him removed as a possible source of sedition. To say he was upset would be an understatement.

"Hokage-sama, this child is lucky to be alive. Their mind is desolate and empty, holding not one truly happy memory. I can confirm that the Kyuubi is gone, I watched the demon die in front of me and the remains of the seal holding it in place vanish. It used all of its power to fix what was done to Naruto, even sacrificing its life. This child is going to need years of therapy and help as it stands right now. I'm not even going to hazard a guess as to how the events of tonight are going to affect that."

Inoichi bowed to the Hokage before going over to the summons that had brought him here, asking it politely to take him back to his home. They both vanished in a plume of white smoke, leaving a stunned Hokage to stare at where Inoichi had been. The blond had seemed rather upset, and it was directed at the Hokage even though he tried to hide it. Shaking his head, Hiruzen turned to look at Hiashi, the clan leader of the Hyuuga.

"Could you please use your Byukagen, and tell me what you see?"

The white eyed man bowed before turning to face the child. He didn't have to, but everyone prefers to face what they are looking at subconsciously. Without any handsigns or verbal cutes, he activated his dojutsu. He looked Naruto over carefully for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes as he focused on her more, as if he was trying to peer through something. The veins around his eyes grew more pronounced as he focused more chakra into them. He suddenly jerked back hard, his dojutsu deactivating from shock as he lost his composure enough to fall on his backside, mouth agape. He sat there stuttering much like his eldest daughter before one hand came up and he slapped himself hard across the face. His entire body shook as he turned to face the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, what I saw is impossible, plain and simple. That child has a chakra circulatory system that makes ours look like the scribble of a retarded two year old. I literally could not count the number of tenketsu, or trace the pathways like I could in a normal human. That is not the most startling though. Her entire body is suffused with chakra to the point that no foreign chakra can get to her circulatory system. She is immune to genjutsu and the Gentle Fist style of combat. Someone at my level might be able to close her tenketsu, but it would be an exercise in futility. The thing that concerns me the most though is that her body seems to be drawing in nature chakra to augment her reserves, which I would estimate are close to ten times what yours were in your prime. I honestly do not know why she has not simply exploded from the amount of chakra in her body. Also, there is no sign of the Kyuubi's chakra anymore. Now then, I must take my leave before I have a heart attack. Good evening Hokage-sama."

Hiashi bowed low again before going over to the ape summon that had brought him here, vanishing in a cloud of smoke. The people that remained stared at the girl, their jaws agape. A six year old child having ten times the reserves of a Kage? The Hyuuga clan leader was right; a normal person would have exploded with that much power inside of them. Whatever had happened to Naruto, it was obvious that later on in life, the boy turned girl would be a powerhouse that nobody could compare to.

Jiraiya was the first to react. He moved a few feet from the child and sat down cross-legged, resting his hands on his knees and closing his eyes. He sat there for several minutes, drawing in the nature energy around him. Once he had enough, his face morphed, his nose growing wide and flat with several warts on it, the red stripes on his face expanding to cover everything but his nose and a small area around his mouth and chin. His eyes turned white with black bars in the middle, and a small beard formed at his chin. Everyone there knew that these were the signs of him entering his sage mode. He examined the child, and turned to Hiruzen, nodding his head as the changes in his features vanished with his releasing the nature chakra he had drawn in.

"He was right, she is drawing in nature chakra, and a lot more than I am capable of. She has so much power and potential that it absolutely terrifies me. If she is trained as a ninja, she could have the power to level an entire country and keep going. Though, we need to do something about all of the people outside. From what I saw, almost the entire village is outside of the compound, and they will not leave until they get some answers."

Hiruzen sighed and stood up, looking to Kurenai.

"Please wake her and bring her to the gates. We cannot leave the compound by normal means without her, and she will need to be there for the announcement after she gets the wards to drop."

Kurenai nodded and started to rub the girl's shoulder lightly until she starts to wake up. The older woman gestured for the child to follow her, and went after the Hokage, having no clue as to where anything is without him. Naruto followed silently, her wide eyes an obvious clue as to the shock she was currently in. The trio made it to the gates, joined shortly after by Jiraiya. Hiruzen went over to Naruto, and led her to a spot beside the gate with a blank looking metal plate. He took her hand and placed it upon the plate. For several seconds nothing happened, and the aged Hokage began to wonder if the changes meant the wards would not respond to Naruto anymore. His fears were relieved shortly as the wards all dropped. The instant they did, shouting could be heard outside the gates, and every single ANBU appeared on the walls, half facing in, half facing out. The Hokage nodded to the commander before picking up Naruto and jumping onto the stone arch over the gate. Naruto quickly hid behind the Hokage upon seeing almost the entire population of the village there, civilian and shinobi alike.

Upon seeing the Hokage, people began to shout and yell, thousands of voices asking what amounted to the same question. Hiruzen held his hand up for silence, and waited until everyone became silent. He looked over the crowd for a moment; his expression growing sad as he thought about how many of these people had hurt the child clinging to his leg. Finally, he began to speak, pushing a small bit of chakra into his throat to make his voice loud enough to be heard.

"Good evening citizens of Konoha. Tonight, I bring you news that will change the course of history for our village. The Kyuubi, which was sealed in Naruto Uzumaki, has passed away. I understand several people had a hand in the events earlier tonight that led up to this, would you please step forward?"

Several people stepped forward, men and women alike grinning like they had won a major prize. They thought that they were going to be named heroes for what they had done to the boy they tortured. Sadly for them, it was not to be. The Hokage gestured, and several ANBU appeared around and within the group, two for each member. Hiruzen cleared his throat, and looked at the rest of the villagers.

"These people are going to be executed, as will any other that dares to raise a hand against Naruto. He was tortured until his body was ruined, destroyed inside and out. Did none of you think what would happen if he died? The Kyuubi would have been released inside our village, giving it a chance to destroy everything and everyone before we could do something to contain it. How stupid do you have to be to not think of that? Did you not trust the Yondaime that much? You all praised him as one of the greatest shinobi to ever exist, yet you spit upon the very skills that made him what he was. You all should be on your knees right now, because of the strength of one six year old child. He fought to live, and contained the demon as the seal drained all power from the Kyuubi and used it to rebuild the child's body. In the process, the demon was killed. The death of the demon while the child's body was being rebuilt from what you fools had done caused some changes to their body." He paused to take a breath, his gaze hardening, showing the fire that had made him one of the most feared ninja to walk the earth, the God of Shinobi.

"I am absolutely disgusted that people of this village, which was built on trust and understanding, could sink so low as to torture a six year old child. Every day that he lived, he protected you from a threat that could only be defeated by the sacrifice of Minato, a ninja so powerful that he was in a league of his own. Whom here among you could stand up to the demon if it was freed? Whom here would have the willpower and skill to sacrifice your life to seal the demon away? Who among you would have the love for a village to do that same thing to your very own children? That's right; Minato Namikaze did not seal the Kyuubi away into some random person. There was only one clan whom could contain the nine tailed demon within themselves and not die. His wife, Kushina Uzumaki, was the previous host for the demon. When she died, there was only one person that could survive having that demon sealed inside of them. Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze."

Cries of outrage and protest welled up from the villagers, many people refusing to allow the thought that the demon scum was the son of the Fourth. Hiruzen waited to allow them to quiet down for a while, but it didn't work. Finally he raised his voice, yelling out loudly with even more chakra enhancing his throat.

"SILENCE!"

That one word echoed throughout the village, and stunned everyone into being quiet. Never had the Hokage raised his voice in such a threatening manner to anyone within the village before. As he stood there shrouded in his rage, nobody saw the friendly old man that always had time for children, or to offer a kind word to someone. Before them was a powerful shinobi, one whom dealt in death and violence with such skill that very few could ever dream of reaching his level. His aura crackled and snapped around him, almost visible with the depth of his emotions.

"Tonight, I am enforcing the laws put into place before, and adding new ones. If anyone harms Naruto Namikaze through direct or indirect actions, they will be executed immediately. That means anyone that helps someone harm him, sells or gives away information with the intent to harm him, overcharges him for the things he needs to live, or refuses him service in their shop without valid reason. For shinobi, if you see someone attempting to harm him, and refuse to act, you will be executed. This child has done more than any Kage ever could to protect you all. If you cannot show him the respect he deserves, then you will at least be civil and treat him like a proper member of this village."

Naruto clung tighter to the robes of the man she saw as her grandfather, awed by what he said, and trying not to cry as he stood up to the entire village for one person. Hiruzen turned and gently moved Naruto to stand in front of him on the archway, so everyone could see what had become of the boy they hated.

"As I said, when the seal repaired his body, there was so much damage that it had to be rebuilt. Unfortunately, with some of the poisons that were used upon him by the soon to be executed, he could not be brought back as he was before. Instead, he was made a female, with some aspects of the demon that died to bring him back. This is Naruto Namikaze, the savior of our village and executioner of the demon his father sealed inside of him."

The civilians were too stunned to say anything about this. They knew the ninja did many things that they considered impossible, but even this was beyond anything they had seen before. The once blonde boy was now a girl, one whom looked like she was sent down from Kami above. The snow white fox ears and tail only enhanced her appearance, making her seem otherworldly. The ninja in the crowd though did something that made the Hokage truly smile. Every single shinobi, active and retired, began to cheer for the girl. Even the always stoic and silent ANBU joined in, praising the child.

For the first time in Naruto's life, someone other than the Hokage and the people that owned the ramen stand that she was always at, praised her. As she looked around, tears forming in her eyes before leaking down silently, some of the civilians began to cheer as well. Admittedly it wasn't a majority of them, but it was still a start. She smiled brightly before bowing down to everyone to thank them for the praise, her face alight with too much joy to be properly contained.

The Hokage allowed this to go on for a little bit longer before he once more held up his hand for silence. This time he was obeyed instantly, the village falling perfectly silent. He turned to Kurenai whom was still in the courtyard, and gestured for her to take the child back into the compound. Once Naruto was out of the way, he spoke for the final time that evening.

"I must ask everyone to go back to their homes, or jobs now. Tonight has been a painful and trying night for several people, including me. I was forced to watch as someone I considered a grandchild almost died in front of me. Let us take this day as a lesson, and use Naruto's demonstration of the Will of Fire to guide us forward, and strive to become even greater than we were before now. Let us move forward, and make every day better than the last!"

With those words, he jumped down into the courtyard, gesturing for his ANBU to join him. The masked shinobi all jumped down, circling around him and waiting for their orders.

"Okay, I need a few favors from you all. Those that help with what I need will each get paid for a solo "A" rank mission and it won't take more than half an hour. I need two rooms in the main building of this compound cleaned up so that people can sleep in them tonight. If anything needs to be bought, bring me the receipts and I will reimburse you for it. Some of you go to Naruto's apartment and bring everything of hers here to her room. Others go to the apartment of Anko and Kurenai, and bring their stuff here. I am also going to assign Naruto a permanent ANBU escort for now. It will be two four person teams. Each team will receive "A" rank escort/guard duty pay. Those of you that wish to help, please get to it, and meet me in my office in the morning. Oh, and those that aren't, you need to inform all of the council members that there is a meeting tomorrow at eleven AM, and if anyone is not there, they will be removed from the council and tried for treason. Dismissed!"

With that, the ANBU scattered, some going inside the compound or to the walls, the rest vanishing out into the village. Hiruzen turned to smile at Kurenai.

"You might wish to go get your girlfriend and bring her here. I will watch Naruto while you do that. Perhaps we can read a story together, what do you say to that Naruto?"

The child nodded, smiling brightly as she took the Hokage's hand and followed him inside her new home, almost skipping with joy at how things had turned out for her. As they went inside, she wondered what tomorrow would bring, and if all of this would come crashing down around her later.


	3. The Day Has Just Begun

A/N: greetings everyone, and welcome to the third chapter of my story!

I need to touch base on a few things here before we get to the good part, so here we go/

First and foremost, this story is NOT going to be very light. It's going to be very dark for quite some time.

Second, the next several chapters are going to be dedicated to developing the new Naruto, and demonstrating why she becomes how she is later on.

Third, I am trying for longer chapters, but sometimes you just reach a good stopping point, and you're tired enough that you just HAVE to post it.

Fourth, the previous chapter was MEANT to feel rushed, it was written like that to try and convey the sense of urgency the characters felt without getting too crazy on descriptions of emotions.

Fifth, and final point. I write how I choose to write. If there is a specific flaw in something I write, please feel free to tell me. Do NOT however, leave a review that simply says 'mind improving it?' I think that is insulting to the author whom has put the work into what the wrote. If you have a criticism, please PM it to me.

Now, on to the story!

* * *

Throughout the Namikaze compound, it was dark. Naruto had fallen asleep almost before the Hokage could start the story. With her example, the Hokage and two Kunoichi taking rooms after the child was laid down to sleep in her parent's old bedroom. The room closest to it had the sounds of the Hokage's snores coming from it randomly. If the master bedroom hadn't been soundproofed, then the three adults in the house could have heard the sound of a child crying in fear. Naruto was asleep, but her dreams were not those of a normal child. With the merging of the demon that was inside of her and her body being rebuilt, all of the blocked memories of the many sessions of abuse and torture that she had suffered were coming back, each one right after the one before it, not giving her any time to recover.

"No, please don't. I'll be a good boy, I promise. Why are you hitting me? What are you doing with my pants? NO….PLEASE….."

She finally woke with a scream that combined pure agony with the deepest sort of mortal terror. Her eyes were wide and unfocused as she panted heavily, her tiny body wracked with a cross between hiccups and sobs as she remembered what had happened before the final beating. She had been tied down across a barrel before several of the men in the crowd had raped her. Then, the final beating had begun. Her arms and legs had been shattered repeatedly until bone stuck out from skin. Her right hand had been stomped on by everyone there until it was only comparable to a piece of meat that dogs had been fighting over. One of the ninjas that joined the crowd had cut the side of her face down to the bone, and then literally ripped a portion of her face free so that the skin and flesh dangled down before ripping one of her eyes from the socket that held it. Her back had been whipped until the entire expanse was more raw flesh and blood than skin. Her chest had been branded several times with random pieces of metal that had been heated to glowing hot thanks to some fire jutsu. Though the absolute worst had been when a woman with bright pink hair had taken a dull and chipped kunai that shone an ominous orange along the edge, and removed the parts of her that made her a boy. Everything else that had been done prior to that paled in comparison when it came to pain.

She shuddered bodily as she thought of the blade that did the final mutilation to her body. The color of the hissing blade would haunt her forever, as would the hair and face of the woman that did it. What had she done to deserve treatment like this? The girl paused, realizing that she was thinking of herself as female. She was a boy though, or at least, she was until that woman took a knife to her. So why was she thinking like this, what could cause it? She knew the demon that had been inside of her rebuilt her body, but did it do something to her mind too? She sighed softly, letting that train of thought go as she went back to thinking about the villagers.

All of her short life, she had been hated, scorned, beaten, and even tortured. The last time was not the first, but it was certainly the worst. The last time combined all of the various beatings and abuse she had received before into one horrendous package. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she thought about how alone she really was. The Hokage never did anything to prevent her beatings or to really punish those that hurt her, yet he always acted like he was trying his hardest to help. Either he was lying to her, or something prevented him from truly helping her. From what she knew, he was the most powerful ninja in the village, and ruled all of it. So what could limit his power to rule the village and keep the peace? She cried even more as she realized that the one person in the village that she thought cared for her had lied to her throughout her life.

Several hours passed, the moonlight coming through the skylights in the bedroom slowly fading as night began to bleed into morning. She finally began to notice her surroundings, what little she could see in the darkness that was barely accented in the silver of moonlight. She realized that it must be very late at night, and that everyone else must be asleep still. After a while of just sitting there, she finally got up quietly. With soft footfalls, she left the room to look for some clothes to wear. Following the most logical path, she walked down the hallway, opening every single door to peek inside. One room contained the Hokage, and the one beside it contained two women whom were in the same bed together for some reason. Finally, she found a room that looked like it was for a child. There was a crib against one of the walls, with her name written above the wall in colorful kanji. This caused her to stop for a minute, and realize that had at least one of her parents lived, she would have grown up in this very room. She shook herself free of her stupor, promising to come back and examine the room in greater detail later. She moved to the closet, and opened the door. What she had thought to be a simple and small closet like any normal person would have turned out to be a walk in that was bigger than the room she used to have at the orphanage. One side of the closet had clothes for a boy, the other for a girl. She automatically began to move towards the boys clothes before stopping and turning to the girls side. She began to examine it, finding quickly that the majority of the items there were for a baby or a young child. Finally she found a stack of clothes that were close to her size.

With careful movements, she began to separate the clothing into the various outfits that were there. All of them were of extremely high quality fabrics, with most of the outfits being formal kimono or yukata. Finally she found the perfect outfit, in her opinion. It was a pair of black hakama that had snowflakes floating all over them. There was a matching haori, which featured a beautiful full moon on the back along with the snowflakes scattered across the rest of it. Completing the outfit was a purple sash that was similar to an obi, but was designed for the ends to hand down the side, and a set of matching purple hair ribbons. She stacked everything else up, and carefully looked around until she found the proper undergarments to go with the outfit.

With clothing in hand, she left the room to find the wash area. She finally stumbled upon a bathroom, and quickly set her clothing down on a shelf. Once the clean clothes were out of harm's way, she removed the sweatpants and t-shirt that she had woken up in after her transformation. She folded these carefully, setting them on another shelf to give back to whomever they belonged to. Once that was done, she looked around the bathroom. It was an odd blend of traditional facilities and the more modern ones. She thought about it for several minutes, and then went to the standing shower after realizing that her hair would go all over the floor if she sat down on a bathing stool. She closed the door behind herself and turned on the water, immune to the blast of cold water that hit her. For as long as she could remember, she always got cold baths if she got one at all. As the water sprayed, she looked over the variety of products that were arrayed on a shelf inside the stall. She read the directions for each one carefully, trying to figure out what to do with each one. Finally, she realized that the containers were in order of use, and smiled a little. She realized that all of this was her mother's stuff after a moment, and paused, looking at the bottles. They looked like there wasn't much left in any of them. She decided that she would buy all of the same stuff and use it, as a way to be at least a little closer to the woman that gave birth to her.

Naruto paused in her thoughts as she felt the water start getting warmer, and turned to stare at the shower head with her head tilted to the side. Unfortunately for her, that was a very bad idea, thanks to her new ears. She jerked back and to the side at the painful sensation of water in her fox ears, managing to fall over and bust her lip open. She kneeled on the floor of the shower, shaking her head to get the water out of her ears, and occasionally spitting out the blood that was coming into her mouth from her lip. After about a minute, she realized that no more blood was entering her mouth. She stood up, making sure to keep her head turned away from the shower head, and brought her hand up to her lip. Shockingly enough, there was no mark, swelling, or any injury that she could feel. She played with her lip curiously for a short time before deciding to leave it alone and go back to cleaning herself. As she bathed, the water grew hot enough that steam was literally billowing out of the shower. What she failed to realize is that the water had actually reached a temperature that would have left any normal person covered in blisters and burns. All she cared about was following the directions on the containers properly, never having used the products before.

After an hour passed, she finally came out of the shower, more relaxed than she had ever been in her life before. She wrapped her body in a towel before sitting down at a small vanity table that was near where her clothes were stored. She took another towel, and began to pat her hair down gently, doing her best to keep it from tangling. Once she was satisfied that she couldn't get it any drier, she picked up the brush that sat on the vanity, after pulling her hair over one shoulder, and began to brush her hair out while it finished drying. While brushing her hair, she examined her new appearance in the mirror. To her, it was shocking in the very least. All of her life, she had been used to looking like a golden blond boy with three whisker marks on each cheek, and shockingly blue eyes. Now, nothing was the same at all. Her face was barely recognizable as her own, her hair and eyes were a different color, and those ears and tail added onto it to make her as far from what she used to be as possible, while still remaining human.

Once she was satisfied with her hair, she moved to brushing out her tail, still remaining eerily silent. Most girls would hum to themselves, or maybe even talk. But during the entire process, she just kept at it with a methodical silence that would have made anyone else uncomfortable. After a few minutes, she stopped, setting the brush down and getting up from the vanity as she realized that brushing her tail before getting dressed was pointless. She could either cut a small hole in her clothes for it to go through, and have to brush it when she was done, or cut a large one and risk exposing what was underneath the outer layer of her clothing. Obviously, the former won out. She quickly got dressed in her undergarments and the top, before looking at the hakama quietly, trying to figure out how she was going to cut them. Her frustration grew, as did her agitation with her lack of foresight in dealing with this. She clenched one hand into a fist, squeezing tighter until a sudden burst of pain grabbed her attention. She opened her hand, and looked at it curiously. Where her normally chewed upon nails were something else that separated her from other people now resided. Her nails looked somewhat normal, except that they came out from her fingers about a centimeter, ending in a sharp point. She ran her fingers along the odd cross between fingernails and claws, finding that even the sides were razor sharp.

With an almost gleeful smile, she used her newest discovery to make the cut in the hakama before pulling them on and working her tail through the hole she made. Once done with that she tied the sash around her waist with the tails hanging down her right side. She went back to the vanity and sat down to finish brushing her tail out, working with methodical strokes until the fur on it was to her satisfaction. Now done with grooming, she set the brush down once more, and stood up from the vanity before walking out of the bathroom. She went through the house back to the bedroom she had woken up in, and opened the sliding door onto the balcony before stepping out to look around.

The balcony itself was simple and plain, being made all of a single type of wood that was stained dark red. It stretched almost the length of the bedroom, and was about three meters out from the house at the railing. The only feature was a set of stairs to her left, which she ascended upon seeing. The stairs led up to the top of the roof, where a large platform rested. From what she could see, it could hold well over a hundred people with room to spare. She walked around the border of the platform, taking in the view of the village in the pre-dawn light. Finally, she went over to the railing facing east, and leaned against it. She watched the sunrise while she thought about the village below her.

_'None of them have ever liked me for me, and almost everyone has tried to harm me in some way. The shopkeepers charge me several times the cost of good food for things that are usually spoiled, and that is if they even are willing to sell to me at all. Now, the people are probably going to hate me more with how I look. That means there will be more attacks, and less chances to get the food I need. Though this is their fault, since they did so much damage that the fox couldn't fix it without changing me to what I am now. On top of it all, the old man lied to me and failed to keep me safe. There is nobody I can trust in this village with anything regarding my safety and health. I am on my own, in enemy territory.'_

As the sun rose above the ground and bathed the village in the golden light of dawn, the heart of someone whom was arguably the happiest person in the village began to harden and grow cold, and another innocent child was broken by the simple fact that they existed in a ninja village. Unbeknown to Naruto, flakes of snow began to fall lightly around her on the rooftop platform.

Down on the street, a woman was staggering her way home after a night of partying with a few friends. As a particular scent wafted across her nose, the intoxicated shinobi went dead still, looking up with an almost panicked expression. She knew that scent, it was a combination of soaps that only one person used, but she was dead! The woman began to look around, almost panicking as she tried to find the person that dared to wear her best friend's scent. As the sunlight filled the street, it revealed the woman had a very feral look to herself. Her brown hair was wild and untamed, and combined with her slit pupils, enhanced canines, and the tattoos on her face, it all led to an intimidating visage that would have most people backing away in fear when she was angry. She tilted her face further upwards, trying to catch the scent that disturbed her so.

As she looked up, on top of what was supposed to be an abandoned compound, was a sight that was as stunning as it was confusing. She could see a small child with hair that was an exact match for her best friend's. The first odd thing was her outfit, which was way more formal than anything Kushina ever wore. The second would have to be the fox ears and tail that adorned the child. The third and perhaps oddest to the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan was the snow that was falling around the child in the middle of summer. Tsume snarled at seeing someone daring to defile the home of her friend, and quickly performed a shunshin, arriving a few feet from the child. She straightened, growling under her breath as she stared down at the child, rationality lost in the haze of alcohol.

"Who are you, and what do you think you are doing here? This place belongs to someone that passed away, and had no living relatives. What gives you the right to come here, use her things, and be in her home?"

Naruto turned to look at the woman that appeared suddenly, her face devoid of expression. The sun hadn't even fully risen, and someone was already after her. This had to be a new record for Naruto, since most people waited until at least mid-morning to start going after her. She looked at the obviously angry woman, and listened to her words. While she did this, she noticed the snow that was falling around them, which was confusing. Who ever heard of snow falling in the middle of summer in Konoha? She shook her head, and waited until the woman finished asking her questions.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki. Up until yesterday, I was a boy, and the son of the previous host of the Kyuubi. Thanks to the wonderful care of the people here, I was beaten and tortured until I was beyond the point at which most people would have died. The demon sacrificed itself to rebuild my body, using what it knew of my mother's body to fix what it could. As for why I am here, if the Hokage is correct, this was my parents' home, and is now mine."

To say Tsume was shocked would be a gross understatement of the truth. Even through the haze of the drinks she had consumed all through the night, she felt the distinct signs of a genjutsu breaking. Memories began to flood her of her friend marrying and becoming pregnant. She looked at the child in front of herself, and couldn't speak, her mouth moving silently. Very few people had known that Kushina was the host of the Kyuubi, and certainly none of them would have told this child unless they needed to know. Finally, she vanished in a swirl of leaves, getting away so she could try to calm down and think about this rationally.

Naruto looked at the spot that had been occupied just a moment ago, blinking several times in surprise. The woman had left without attacking her, which was extremely odd for anyone that smelled of alcohol. Naruto turned back to the railing, leaning against it once more as she looked out over the village, waiting to see what this day held in store for her.


	4. Determination

The council chamber was a cacophony off voices and sounds. Utter chaos ruled the room as both sides of the council screamed at the Hokage for an explanation of the events last night, along with the revelation of the true identity of the village pariah. The civilian side were all trying to deny the child's heritage, and claim the assets of the Fourth for their own, while the shinobi side were all calling out to know why the child was treated the way she was upon Minato's death. Out of the confusion, one voice was raised up, quelling the shouts of everyone present. Shockingly enough, the voice of reason was Shimura Danzo, often known as the biggest oppose of the Hokage.

"ENOUGH! If we all sit down, I am sure that the Hokage will explain things to our satisfaction."

It took a few minutes, but soon everyone was seated in an approximation of waiting patiently for the Hokage to speak. Hiruzen looked at all of the people gathered, his gaze tracing over every face before him. Some were allies, others neutral, and the last were opponents to the old man and his policies. Many of the people in the room with him had been there for years, some even decades, and he knew them well. Others were newer, and still unknown to the aged Hokage. He would have to choose his words carefully to minimize the fallout from this discussion.

"I know that when Naruto was born, I told you all that he was a random orphan. I admit, I lied about that, and that he, or she rather, is truly the child of the Fourth and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina. I chose not to inform you all because I did not want the child to grow up as a spoiled and selfish person. I wanted her to have as close to a normal childhood as possible. It is not my fault that you all chose to heap hatred and scorn upon her, and even torture her to beyond the brink of death. Everyone here is responsible in some part for disregarding the last wish of Namikaze Minato. Everyone here shares in some part of the fault that lies in the treatment of Naruto."

On the shinobi side of the council table, Hyuuga Hiashi stood up, placing his hands on the polished table that had hosted the council since the founding of Konoha. He looked down for a moment, tracing the more than familiar patterns in the grain of the wood that was in front of him. He had sat at this same spot for close to two decades now, and never before had he been so repulsed by what the leader of Konoha had done. He raised his pale eyes to look at the Hokage, the patented glare of his clan finding itself focused upon him for the first time.

"You lied to everyone here, and yet you claim we are at fault? Every one of the clans tried to take the child in and provide him a home. I know that I have applied to adopt the child once a month on the first since that horrible day. You, the person responsible for leading us all, allowed the civilians to interfere in the life of the child. As the offspring of shinobi, especially two so revered in this village, they have no right! The charter of the village dictates that the children of shinobi are forever under the aegis of the shinobi council until such time as they seek a civilian life. You allowed all of the misfortune that happened to pass, and chose not to punish those guilty as they deserved. YET YOU DARE TO STAND THERE AND TELL US THE FAULT LIES WITH US, AS IF YOU WERE NOT THE INSTIGATOR OF THE ENTIRE BATCH OF MISFORTUNES TO BEFALL THE CHILD!"

At the end of his speech, his voice raised up until he was nearly screaming. For the first time that any could remember, Hiashi lost the cool demeanor and composure that made him famous among the older generation. Everyone there was shocked at the least to watch him scream at the Hokage. Jaws dropped around the table as the scene unfolded. The two closest to Hiashi both scooted back from him nervously. When one of the most powerful people in the room started to scream at others, getting away from them is generally a smart thing to do. As everyone stared at Hiashi, he focused his gaze on the Hokage, his chest heaving as he panted for breath.

Further down the table, a woman stood up, glaring at the Hokage as well. Unlike earlier that morning, she was completely sober, though she was still highly agitated. The claws that she called fingernails dug into the table, making fresh furrows right alongside the numerous gouges in the wood that decorated her clan's seat as she growled deep in her chest, just like one of the dogs her clan was infamous for working with.

"You self-righteous sanctimonious prick! Do you know what I went through this morning, when I walked past the place my best friend had called home, and caught the scent of her soaps? Do you even have the slightest CLUE what happened to me when I saw that child, whom looked like an exact copy of her mother? Kushina was my best friend, and I was supposed to take care of her child if anything happened to her. You told me that Kushina's child had DIED that night, only for me to find out that you lied to us all. That child spent the winters in our kennels, huddled among our dogs because she had nowhere to go. When we tried to bring her into our homes, she ran screaming from us, people that her mother trusted almost as much as her husband. Every time she was injured, the only help she got was from our vets. Two of them took courses and became certified to work on humans just to help her. Yet you have the gall to tell us we are at fault here? I know I speak for the shinobi side when I say this. You have one month to find a successor, and bring them to us for approval before their investiture. If you haven't done so within thirty days, then I will call for a vote of no confidence in your ability to lead, and request the Daimyo attend to the problem personally. With two of his personal guard being from my clan, and his heir a declared pack friend, I am confident he will come to see what is going on. I will be submitting my report of this meeting and what has gone on with Naruto to him, and I suggest that everyone present in this room do the same. We need a leader whom can rule the pack properly, not a befuddled old man that thinks ruining the life of a child and lying to everyone connected to them is a great idea."

Around the table, heads could be seen nodding in agreement with the words of the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan. Hiashi was the first of many to raise his voice in seconding her demands, until the entire council was clamoring in agreement. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at the people in front of him, his expression furious as he released a large amount of killing intent. His attempt to subdue the council was for nothing though, as the entire shinobi side returned it many times over to the old man. In the midst of the battle of wills, one of the civilian councilors spoke up, breaking the stalemate between ninja.

"I think it would be best if we agreed that nobody in this room were to speak to the child until a new Hokage has been chosen, and we decide what course of action we are going to take. I believe that she has two of our kunoichi to look after her for the time being. They should suffice to watch and care for her until such time as we come to an agreement on how things will proceed. I also think that the council should meet daily, and assume the majority of the duties of the office of Hokage, to allow him to find his successor that much faster."

Hiruzen stared at the council, trying to figure out how to fix this, and gain back control of things. Perhaps it would be best if he sent off a letter to the Daimyo about the situation, and asked for his assistance before the council could send their letters. It was the only thing he could think of to take back the power he so carefully garnered since his successor died. He nodded to everyone in the room before turning and leaving out the doors behind himself as quickly as he could without appearing to be rushed. The shinobi side filed out right after he did, while the members of the civilian portion of the council gloated to themselves, thinking they were going to get a lot more power and prestige with the old man being disgraced out of his office. Finally, the room was empty save for the four ANBU hidden in the corners. They stepped out, looking to the one with a dog mask. He nodded his head, and the three others vanished to set up a protection detail to protect Naruto. The dog ANBU stood there alone for a while, looking around the room quietly. Finally, he too left, using a leaf shunshin to exit the room and go to the memorial stone.

* * *

Across the village, the subject of the dissent in the upper echelons of power was quietly wandering the many buildings in the compound that was now hers. She opened doors long enough to peek into rooms before closing them and moving on. This pattern continued on throughout most of the morning, until she reached a small building in the back. Compared to the rest of the compound, it was almost spartan. The building was quite utilitarian, looking more like a shed than anything else. The only thing that set it apart from the other buildings was the large Uzumaki spiral on the door. Naruto looked at it, head tilted to the side. She could feel a pull; something was calling to her, drawing her into the building. She looked closely at the spiral on the door, noticing that the black lines were actually made up of a massive array of symbols so small that most people would never see them for what they were, a sealing array of a style that had never been seen in Konoha.

After a bit of time spent staring at the symbol, she bit her thumb. Once it was bleeding, she drew it across the symbol while pushing some of her chakra out. She couldn't explain how she knew what to do, just that it felt right to do so. The symbols started glowing softly at first, before brightening to a shine so bright it managed to cast shadows in the middle of the day. With a soft whisper, the door split down the middle and opened inward to reveal a dark room with stairs in the middle leading down. Without hesitation, she walked forward and down the stairs, her steps taking her into the darkness.

As she continued her downward trek, Naruto idly wondered how deep the stairs went. Her unasked question was answered as she reached the bottom of the stairs around fifteen meters underground. As she stepped off of the last stair, torches along the wall flared to life, activated by a hidden seal matrix. She looked around as the room she was in became illuminated. The room itself was plain stone with only a few seals breaking the monotony of the dark grey granite. The three sides not occupied by the stairs each had a doorway that was simply an opening in the bland stone. In the center of the room was a short pedestal, no more than a foot in diameter, and raised five inches off of the ground. The entire surface of the pedestal was covered in a seal array that made the one on the door look like the scribbling of a toddler. The array of symbols glowed with power, flickering in shimmers of random color. Overall, it made for an enticing and beautiful display that absolutely reeked of massive amounts of power.

While the sealing array was impressive by its own rights, what was contained in the array was many times more awe inspiring for those that knew what it was. Hovering above the center of the array was a staff that had not been seen for hundreds of years. The base was capped with a short metal striker that was etched with seals matching the pedestal. The body of the staff was made out of a polished wood that was so dark of a red that it looked black except under the most scrutinizing of inspections. The staff stretched for a length of just under two meters, capped off with an ornate headpiece. Directly above the shaft was a golden moon that spun freely, supported on the cap that rested at the top of the wood. Surrounding the moon were two rings that curved to make a full circle, each one holding three small rings that occasionally chimed with the movement of the staff. The finial atop the device was a set of ten stylized tails, each one razor sharp and obviously deadly. Before Naruto stood the shakujo that the Sage of Six Paths used to help in his sealing of the Jyuubi.

Naruto eyed it, her mouth open in awe at the amazing weapon in front of her. She did not know what it was, but she did know that it was the source of the odd draw that had brought her here. Her body moved slowly, of its own accord, slow footsteps drawing her ever nearer to the staff as she continued to admire. Once she was close enough, her right hand came out from where it was hanging beside her body, reaching forward towards the staff. As her fingers reached the perimeter of the pedestal, a humming barrier of power flared into existence, halting her progress momentarily. She frowned a little at this sudden halting of her progress before pushing forward, fighting past the wards that had stopped countless Kage level shinobi.

As her fight with the barrier dragged on, her entire body began to tremble and shake, muscles tensing as all of her willpower was brought to bear against the enemy that was keeping her from the staff. As the titanic struggle continued for the child, the exposed skin started to show a sheen of sweat that steadily grew until it was dripping off of her. She bared her teeth in a silent snarl as she fought to reach the staff, the sweat from her body coming off in enough quantity to form a stain on the granite beneath her. Time had no meaning for Naruto now, as all of her focus was on getting her hand around the staff, which her hand was steadily getting closer to. All that mattered now was every centimeter she managed to push closer to the alluring weapon.

What Naruto did not know is that the barrier was divided into sections. Each one was designed to test how much power the person trying to breach them had with each affinity. The outermost layers were for the primary elements. To pass each layer, the person attempting to reach the staff must be able to overpower the raw elemental power within each section. As she passed the last of the individual elemental barriers, she came to the final one, which required perfectly balanced power with all five elements. Her entire body was shuddering with the titanic effort she was putting forth. The force of the chakra she was exuding was starting to show how powerful it was as well, with a small trickle of blood starting to come from her nose.

Still, Naruto refused to give up, fighting through the combined element barrier to meet her next challenge. This was a step that nobody before her had ever reached, all previous attempters having been halted by the combined element barrier. The next barrier was a test of raw physical strength. She pushed into it harder and harder against it, putting in so much force that the bones in her arm began to grow hairline fractures. She finally made her first vocal sound as she shouted a wordless roar that accompanied her breaking past the strength barrier. Breaking past that barrier brought her to the last one, which tested her tolerance to pain.

Lightning screamed to life, the cacophony of thunder roaring through the room. The electricity shot through her body, lighting all of her nerves on fire. Many could tolerate this; the life of a ninja was one of pain and strife after all. Unfortunately, this was only a portion of the damage the barrier did. Added in to the direct physical torment of being electrocuted were the sounds of the thunder that threatened to blow out her eardrums, the repeated concussions from the lighting flickering in and out of existence, and the eyeball searing light released from the torrents of electricity. Naruto threw her head back, screaming as almost all of her senses were assaulted in a devastating manner. Her arm did not stop moving though, and she finally closed the last few centimeters to her goal.

The entire room was flooded with silence as the child wrapped her fingers around the shaft of the staff, the barriers all dropping so suddenly that the effort she was putting forth caused her to go flying forward. Her foot caught the edge of the pedestal, tripping her up and sending her sprawling. She rolled sideways in midair, clutching her prize to her as she fell. Her head struck the ground at the same time her back did, causing her vision to go white with the pain. Her world quickly faded to black as she was drawn into unconsciousness by the concussion she received.

Right as Naruto fell, the three ANBU from the council chamber appeared at the foot of the stairs, just in time to watch her head slam into the ground with a sickening crack. The ANBU with the boar mask jumped forward, moving to the child's side so fast that they seemed to teleport. They ran their hands over her body, a green glow connecting the two of them for several seconds. The three ANBU all held their breath until Boar turned to look at the other two.

"She is fine. Moderate concussion, some hairline fractures in the major bones of her right arm, minor tears in the nasal cavity, minor electrical burns on her right hand, and a sprained ankle. I will take her to the hospital and watch over her while you two inform Inu."

The other two ANBU nodded and vanished from the room silently, leaving Boar to pick up the small child. Even unconscious, she managed to cling to the staff somehow. As he left in a shunshin, one odd thing caught his attention. Last night, when he saw the child, she had only one tail, and her presence gave off the signs of reserves about three times what is considered average Kage level. Now it felt like she had even more chakra, though that wasn't the most peculiar thing.

Naruto now has a second tail.


	5. Breakdowns and Journeys

Anko and Kurenai stared at the shakujo that hovered beside the hospital bed that Naruto was laying in. Both were eating dango, neither one speaking at the moment. They had been informed by the ANBU that Naruto was here by Boar five hours ago, and both were trying to figure out where the staff had come from. It was very unique, and they could both tell it had some sort of link with the child in the bed. Anko flicked the now empty stick her dango had been on into the wall, finishing a two foot tall copy of the symbol of the village. She turned her head, looking at Kurenai.

"So, explain to me again why we spent the night with this gaki instead of at our place, and why we're here now, please. I know I was hearing things, but I swear last night you said that we were moving in with the pest. You wouldn't have agreed to anything like that without me, would you lover?"

The last words were said with a creepily evil expression on Anko's face; as if she was daring Kurenai to say what she thought had been said last night. Kurenai let out a soft sigh, and shook her head at her girlfriend. This was going to be one of those crappy days.

"Anko, it's a long term mission from the Hokage. We get paid every month as a B-rank mission, plus we get to live in the Fourth's mansion, so it's a win-win situation for us. We get a nicer place to stay and a nice chunk of cash for staying there. I know you don't like kids, but Naruto has always been polite and respectful when I've encountered him, err, her. So, you can be good and go along with this, or you can sleep on the couch until you give in to the inevitable."

Anko looked at Kurenai, her mouth agape as she sputtered, trying to find some way to fight back against the sudden change in her life. She was comfortable with how things were, and has never been a fan of sudden changes in her life. She crossed her arms over her chest; huffing softly at the ultimatum she was given. She glared at Kurenai, narrowing her eyes a little.

"Why can't the brat stay at our place? I'm sure there's somewhere we can put her. Kids don't have that much crap, right? She can set up her bed in the corner, as long as she doesn't touch my stuff. Or your stuff….or well…anything in the apartment."

Kurenai sighed, and rubbed her forehead. She loved Anko, but sometimes the interrogation specialist could be a bit on the childish side, as well as extremely territorial. Getting her to go along with this was going to be more than a chore and a long term headache at best. Hopefully she could work this out without any major problems.

"Ko-chan, Naruto needs us right now. She's gone through a lot over the past day and a half alone, not to mention the abuse she's suffered since she was born. I've tried before to take her in, as have many people. The civilian council has blocked it at every turn. Now she has a chance for someone to watch over and take care of her, and protect her from the harm the villagers do to her. You know what that is like, being hated for something that isn't in your control. I know you've complained at how bad she's been treated as a boy. Imagine what could happen now that she's a girl, and a pretty one at that."

Anko didn't have to think long, knowing what had happened to her when she was abandoned by Orochimaru. She hadn't been safe until she had killed several people right in front of the Hokage tower. After that, it had been an uphill battle to gain the respect she had today, as well as her rank. From what she knew, Naruto was even more hated than she was herself, and that was honestly scary. She sighed a little to herself, knowing that she couldn't walk away from this. She looked at Kurenai, and nodded.

"Okay, I'll go along with this. I will admit, I'm not good with kids, but I will try, okay?"

Kurenai smiled softly, her expression showing the love she held for Anko, and kissed her on the cheek lightly. Both of them went as still as statues when they heard a quiet sniffle come from the hospital bed. At the same time, they both turned slowly to see Naruto sitting up and watching them as she cried quietly. Kurenai stood up quickly and walked over to the bed, reaching out to Naruto, only to have the child jerk away from her hard enough to fall off of the bed before scrambling to the other side of the room. She looked at the child for a moment, wondering why she had such a violent reaction.

"What's wrong Naruto? If you heard what I said, you know I don't want to hurt you. I want to help you, and protect you from anyone that would harm you."

Naruto tried the back further away, her legs scrabbling against the linoleum floor uselessly as her eyes got wider and wider, pupils dilating until they were mere pinpricks hidden in the violet irises. Her breathing started getting faster as she went into a full blown panic attack, clutching at anything she could grab to shield herself from her memories. IV racks and monitors crashed to the floor, spilling their contents all around her. The loud noises seemed to make her reaction worse as she suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.

"NONONONO! THOSE EYES, KEEP THEM AWAY FROM ME!"

Her voice was more than loud enough to get the attention of the nurses on duty, three of whom came running into the room. Two grabbed Kurenai and Anko, dragging them forcefully out while the third tried to get closer to Naruto. Unfortunately, his approach caused her to scream again, this time a wordless sound of fear. He backed off quickly, and stuck his head out of the room, yelling down the hallway.

"I need a female doctor in here right now, and the etorphine, IMMEDIATELY!"

Naruto's condition continued to worsen, her breathing going into hyperventilation as the panic attack got worse when she heard a male voice yelling close to her. Precious minutes ticked by until a female doctor ran into the room, her coat billowing behind her. She stopped to look at the damage to the room, her eyes landing on the child in the corner, whom was now trembling bodily and muttering under her breath, her gaze unfocused as her eyes darted around randomly. The doctor reached into her pocket, pulling out a sterile syringe and the bottle of etorphine. She began filling the syringe, drawing out 6cc of the potent opiate. She pulled the syringe from the vial, and squeezed out the air, making sure the measure was perfect. Naruto saw the needle, and let out an ear piercing screech, turning to try and claw her way through the wall at the sight of the needle.

Right as Naruto turned her back, the doctor shot forward, stabbing the needle into Naruto's arm and injecting the chemical as quickly as she could before pulling it out and jumping away. She was just in time, as Naruto turned and tried to slash her for the attack. The movement turned into a full-bodied spin that ended with the child unconscious on the floor. The doctor waited for a few seconds before moving over and picking up the child. She stood up, turning to lay Naruto down on the bed gently. Once Naruto was settled, she moved out to the nurses' station, getting the attention of the head nurse.

"I want her moved to the ANBU treatment rooms immediately, but left unrestrained. No further medications are to be administered until the etorphine clears her system completely. Keep her on fluids, and start a potassium bag as well. She was far too lightweight for her size and age, so when she wakes up, we need to do a full panel on her for malnutrition. Call me as soon as she shows signs of waking, which should be in twelve hours if prior experience still applies."

The doctor turned around to face Kurenai and Anko, gesturing for them to follow her to her office. Once all three of them were seated and the door closed, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the cluttered surface of her desk.

"I am Doctor Horikawa Akemi. I am Shimura-san's personal physician, as well as for most of the shinobi council. Shimura-san has me overseeing Naruto's treatment every time she is brought here, which is far too often for my liking even though I know most of the time she has just been left to heal on her own. I want to get something straight right now between us. I know Hokage-sama has made you two her guardians. However, if you two allow her to be hurt, and she is not brought in for proper treatment, I will do everything in my power to make sure it never happens a second time. Whatever the Hokage has told you to do to 'toughen her up' means nothing to me. That child is my patient, and I will see that she gets proper care. If anything interferes in her care, it will be eliminated immediately, is that clear?"

Anko and Kurenai stared at the woman in front of them, jaws agape from shock. No doctor had ever threatened a ninja before, at least not so blatantly. As they processed what she said, they both began to grow quite angry with what was being implied by the doctor. Anko was the first to get her voice back, and stood up, leaning forward intimidatingly.

"Do you think either of us would allow a child to come to harm, especially one in our care? What kind of twisted people do you think we are lady? I would never do anything to purposefully hurt a child unless it was training of some sort. Now, what exactly are you talking about when you mention 'toughening her up'?"

The doctor stood up and walked over to where her degrees and certificates were hanging upon the wall. She pulled one to the side before biting her thumb and smearing it on the wall. A seal flared to life long enough to reveal a hidden safe before vanishing again. She opened the safe, pulling out a large stack of documents in folders before turning around and slamming them on the desk in front of Kurenai and Anko.

"These are Naruto's medical records. In them you will find signed orders from the Hokage countermanding treatments and hospital stays that the child needed. Every time we've tried to keep her in here to help with anything that wasn't a critical injury, he has forced us to send her away, claiming she needed to learn how to deal with pain. That child weighs half of what she should at best, because he wouldn't let us keep her here to treat her malnourishment, or teach her about proper diet. Every time I have tried to confront him about it, he has blown it off with some crap about her treatment not being in the budget, even after we volunteered to do it for free. Not to mention the times I have seen the head of the Uchiha clan leaving the room right before she starts having panic attacks. So you tell me, what am I supposed to think when that man assigns you two to be her guardians?"

Anko sat down heavily, causing the cheap chair to creak threateningly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Hokage had done all of that, to a child? Both she and Kurenai grabbed some of the folders, going through them only to find exactly what the doctor had said was true. Pages of orders that were stamped with the Hokage's seal, countermanding the treatments the doctors wanted. Several even cited that Naruto needed to grow a high tolerance to pain as the reason for refusing her painkillers and proper therapy for injuries. Kurenai finally looked up at the doctor, her eyes glowing with barely contained fury.

"You have our permission to keep Naruto as long as you need to treat her properly, and to give her any treatments she needs. Nobody that is part of the Uchiha clan, or associated with them, is to be allowed near her at any time. If they try, they can be considered a threat to her welfare. You can also come by her home any time you want to check up on her, to make sure that she is doing well. Could I have copies of all of these records as well? I feel that someone needs to take a look at them, someone outside of this village."

Doctor Akemi smiled at seeing the anger in Kurenai's face, and nodded a little to her request.

"I know where she is staying now, and will come over personally later with the copies for you, so long as you promise me that you will use them to help the child, okay?"

Kurenai nodded and stood up, setting the folders in her hand down on top of the stack, followed by Anko. They both bowed a little to the doctor.

"Thank you for telling us this, and trust me when I say I have the perfect plan in place to fix this mess. I also would like a list of anyone that helped the Hokage in these abominations called treatments, signed by you, when you bring the copies of her records."

The doctor nodded her assent to the last request before both kunoichi turned and left the room. Once outside of the hospital, Kurenai turned to Anko, her expression serious.

"We're going to go request several days of leave. I need you to move all of our stuff to our new room, and then lock yourself inside with Naruto if she leaves the hospital before I get back. I am going to leave the village for several days, possibly an entire week. I can't tell you exactly what I will be doing, but you will know when I get back, okay?"

Anko nodded her head in agreement before they both left in a shunshin, appearing in front of the Hokage's office in a swirl of leaves. Kurenai asked the secretary politely if they could see the Hokage for a private matter, and sat down to wait to see him. Half an hour went by before several people came out of the office and the secretary told them to go on inside. They went in, standing in front of the desk and bowing low. The Hokage looked at them, giving off his patented grandfatherly smile.

"Hello Kurenai, Anko, what can I do for the two of you today?"

Kurenai spoke, her voice calm, nothing in her posture giving away the utter loathing and rage she felt towards the old man.

"We would like to take two weeks off of missions sir, so that Anko can move all of our stuff, I can visit a family member to get advice on living with a child, and finally so we can get to know Naruto as well as her getting to know us."

Hiruzen sat back in his chair, thinking about this request for a moment. It wasn't unreasonable, and was actually rather short considering the circumstances. He decided to give them a bit longer, hopefully putting them in a position where he could ask for a favor later on. He grabbed three scrolls, quickly writing down on two of them permission for a month of leave time, the third permission for Kurenai to leave the village to visit relatives. He stamped all three of them before holding them out.

"I am giving you both a month to get settled in, which you can cut short if you need to, or if I need you for an important mission. Good luck to the both of you, and I hope to see you taking missions soon."

Both women bowed after taking their scrolls, leaving the office quietly. Kurenai went to the estate; while Anko went to their apartment to start packing things up and tell the landlord that they were moving.

Anko arrived at the estate with a pack on her shoulders, and began to wander around, looking for Kurenai. She found her lover in the small hot springs behind the main building, and stripped out of her clothes to join Kurenai. She sank into the hot water with a sigh of pleasure, luxuriating in the relaxing atmosphere.

"Okay Nai-chan, I got your mission pack ready to go. You've got two weeks of clothing and supplies in there, plus room for the item you're going to be getting. Be safe, okay love?"

Kurenai kissed Anko's cheek with a smile before hugging her lover gently.

"Of course I will. I have you to return to, and now Naruto. I want you to promise me something though Anko. If anything ever does happen to me, I want you to not lose yourself in grief, and take care of Naruto. I don't want her losing both of us at the same time if it can be helped, okay?"

Anko gave Kurenai a long look, filled with a myriad of emotions and thoughts. She disliked her lover talking about dying, even if it was a common truth in the life of a ninja. Very few lived long enough to earn the retirement that Konoha offered, and those that did were never famous or well known outside of the village. Kurenai was very well known, because of her proficiency with genjutsu, a talent often scorned in favor of powerful taijutsu or destructive ninjutsu. She sighed a little, and nodded her head in acquiescence to Kurenai's request.

Kurenai smiled at Anko before leaving, heading out of the estate and towards the main gate of the village. She had a hard journey ahead of her, and that wasn't only referring to the trip itself. She had to gain an audience with the Daimyo of Fire Country, a notoriously difficult feat for the most famous and well-connected of people. She was neither, which only increased the odds of her being refused. Regardless of her fears, she headed out of the village with a determined expression, intent upon her self-appointed mission.

* * *

Back in the hospital, things were definitely not as peaceful as they were at the Namikaze compound. In the ANBU section of the hospital, Naruto had all of the nurses in that section in a panic. She was in the middle of a nightmare, thrashing around hard enough to jerk the bed around, and screaming at the top of her lungs. Most of it was incoherent, but occasionally bits about red eyes can be heard. Restraints that had held full grown ninja without problems groaned and strained, giving evidence to the child's true strength. The night shift doctor came into the room, lab coat billowing behind him with the speed of his movements. He looked at the monitors that showed Naruto's vitals, and turned to a nurse, speaking with authority and urgency.

"Go get me Inoichi Yamanaka, immediately! Tell him we have a code teal, and to come to the ANBU section, room seven. If he acts even a little bit reluctant, tell him I will personally have his ninja license suspended for medical reasons."

The nurse nodded almost frantically and ran out the door to get the head of the Yamanaka clan, not even trying to make a snide comment about the demon spawn that she thinks Naruto is. Her footsteps receded rapidly down the hallway as she hurried to get away from the screams of horror and torment that were coming from Naruto. The doctor turned to another nurse, ordering 15cc's of morphine to be pushed through the IV, then turned back to watch Naruto, his thoughts growing more concerned as she continued to rant and scream, even after the administration of the morphine.

_"I hope that whatever has been done to you, you can survive it. This village has done so many horrible things to you, and I am afraid that we only know the bare minimum of the truth of the torture you have endured at the hands of supposedly good people. I can only pray that we are in time to help you, and that it is not too late to give you a better life and outlook."_

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone!

First I would like to thank those that took the time to leave reviews. It means a lot for an author to get reviews from people saying they liked what was written.

Second, I would like to point something out. This story follows what I have decided, not whatever is said in the reviews by other people.

Third, there isn't going to be any real "action" for Naruto over the next couple of chapters, since at least one is going to focus on Kurenai, and the others are going to be Inoichi going into her mindscape, and his trying to help her.

Until next time, and remember to review!

Kayou


	6. Of Blood and Meetings

Kurenai ran through the trees, her sandals leaving bloody footprints with every step. She had run for eighteen hours straight since leaving Konoha, and taken three soldier pills. Her feet had blistered after nine hours, the blisters had ripped open and started bleeding after thirteen. At the rate she was going, it would take well over a week for her feet to heal. Her entire mind was focused on getting to the capitol city, the pain in her feet barely noticed as an annoyance on the edge of her mind. Each bloody footstep was one more that took her to her destination. Without warning, the trees cleared, revealing a city surrounded by a large clearing. The wall that surrounded the city was tall enough to hide what was inside of it. Directly ahead of her was a massive gate that dwarfed the one at Konoha.

The massive panels were made of iron oak and clad in a layer of polished steel. The side that would face out when the gate is closed also had spikes of varying size all over it. To say it was intimidating would be putting it lightly. Luckily for Kurenai, the gate was wide open. She ran through them, throwing a bright red kunai towards one of the guards, the weapon embedding in the ground between the samurai's feet as she blew by them. The samurai bent down to grab the kunai, noting the black kanji inscribed of the red paint. He turned to his second in command, and nodded to him.

The second drew a bamboo tube that was hidden in his armor and held it above his head, pointing it to the sky. He lit the small fuse on the bottom, which quickly burned into the tube. With a piercing scream that could be heard throughout the city, a bright blue flare was launched high into the sky. Twelve figures heard the noise, and looked up to see the flare. Each one of them dropped what they were doing and ran towards the center of the city rapidly to assemble on the steps of the daimyo's palace. Soon enough, Kurenai came to a stop in front of them. She was breathing heavily, her body dripping with sweat. The twelve people facing her grew concerned though at how pale she was, and the growing puddle of blood around her feet. She stayed standing long enough to toss a file to the man in the center, whom she guessed was the leader.

"For the Daimyo's eyes only. We have a situation on Konoha, the Hokage has gone rogue."

With those words, she collapsed, the exhaustion from her run combined with the blood loss drawing her into the welcome embrace of unconsciousness.

The leader picked up the file, flipping through it to make sure there were no seals anywhere. Once done, he placed a seal tag on the file, which lit up green after a second. He nodded to himself before turning to go to the Daimyo with the file. He spoke over his shoulder to the remaining eleven of the Twelve Guardians.

"Send for lady Tsunade to take care of the woman, but do not move her until Tsunade says it is okay."

One of the eleven ran off to fetch the legendary medic as quickly as possible while the leader walked into the palace. He proceeded through several checkpoints, having grown used to dealing with them over the years he had served in the palace. Within ten minutes, he was finally in front of the Daimyo, kneeling in respect.

"Sir, a ninja from Konoha has arrived with alarming news. She handed me these files, and said the Hokage was rogue. Her condition shows that she ran at her top speed here from the village, and Tsunade has been called to check on her."

He held out the folder, which the Daimyo took before sitting down in his chair. Unlike most royalty, he preferred something that was simple and comfortable, the old and much worn chair clashing with the opulence of the palace. He took his time going through the folder, reading each page carefully. After the first five pages, his shoulders began to shake with rage, his face turning red before becoming a mottled red and white color. He wasn't angry; he was absolutely boiling over with rage. Every month he received a report from the Hokage and Council stating that Naruto was healthy and well cared for. What he was looking at right now was absolutely horrifying. What he saw was nothing but the worst kind of torture. To compound it, it wasn't an enemy ninja that was being treated this way, but the son of the former Hokage.

In his hands he held signed orders from the Sandaime Hokage authorizing the use of mental torture on an innocent child. Orders given to medical staff to not treat injuries that could cripple a person, just so they could test the healing abilities of the bijuu he contained. The Sandaime had ordered shops to refuse service to the child, so that he would be forced to go to the Hokage for the things he needed to survive. It was obvious a carefully orchestrated plan to make the child view the Hokage as his savior and protector, and the only person to trust. It was best described as one word, disgusting.

He stood up forcefully, sending his chair to the ground in a clatter. The sound stopped all activity in the room as everyone waited to see what had the normally peaceful and complacent Daimyo so upset. He stood there, killing intent rolling off of him in waves as he issued commands.

"Prepare the twelve guardians, and the first five battalions of the army. We march to Konoha in the morning. There are a lot of things that village has to answer for, and I can guarantee that heads will roll."

He was answered by a chorus of affirmatives before people vanished to make the preparations. He threw the folder down before storming off to his private training rooms to let off some steam. Throughout the palace, commands and shouts could be heard as everything was made ready for six thousand shinobi to accompany the Daimyo to Konoha.

* * *

Inoichi ran through the halls of the hospital, his rapid footsteps making only the barest whisper of sound. He made his way into the wing reserved for ANBU and the more volatile ninja patients, blowing past the guards without pause. There was one room that had an open door, and from it he could hear a doctor giving orders, as well as the terror filled screams of Naruto. The last made him stop in his tracks as it made him think of his own daughter being in the room instead of Naruto, the thought sending a cold chill down his spine before he entered into a scene of absolute chaos.

Naruto was on the bed, one of the arm straps broken and dangling from her flailing appendage. Two of the nurses were slumped against the wall unconscious, and some odd staff was hovering right next to the bed getting in the way. He watched for a moment, confused as to why everyone was avoiding the staff and trying to figure out how it was just floating there. The reason for avoiding the staff was answered as a nurse brushed against it, receiving a massive shock and being flung to where the two unconscious nurses were, the large man joining them in forced slumber.

He cleared his throat to get the doctor's attention; blinking at the haggard look that was on the man's face before gesturing outside. Both men left the room, Inoichi closing the door so they could confer in private. The doctor wasted no time in explaining what was going on, his desire to help the screaming child evident.

"The patient was brought in here in the middle of a psychotic episode. Apparently it was triggered upon seeing Yuuhi Kurenai's eyes. Since it started, she has been extremely combative in getting away from everyone, and constantly screaming in absolute terror. Occasionally she will say something about red eyes, and avoids eye contact with everyone. We have tried every form of sedation possible, even going so far as to use sufentanyl in an attempt to get her calmed down. So far, nothing has worked, and she has maintained a constant state of what appears to be fear induced hysteria. The only thing I can think of is that she was put through mental torture by one or more of the Uchiha clan, more likely using an advanced genjutsu from the evolved state of the dojutsu. We have two choices right now. The first is trying to get someone from that clan here to do a forced hypnosis on her, and the second is you doing a mind walk. Obviously, the first is out of the question considering what is going on right now. We are also under orders to not let the Hokage know about this unless absolutely necessary. She's all yours, but if you can't help her, then I expect her to go into a catatonic state within the next couple of hours."

Inoichi listened carefully, perplexed at the orders to keep this from the Hokage, but shrugged a little. This was not part of his normal duties, and he was only called here for the worst situations. He nodded to the doctor before stepping into the room and ordering everyone out. The nurses complied, dragging the three unconscious ones out of the room before shutting the door, all of them glad to be away from the heart wrenching screams of the child. Inoichi wasted no time in walking over to Naruto, placing his hand upon her forehead before whispering a jutsu name under his breath. With those words, both his body and the child's went still as his mind was drawn into hers.

* * *

Inoichi opened his eyes, looking around quietly. He was disturbed at what he saw, to say the very least. A healthy mindscape was full of life, and various things indicating significant memories. He was most assuredly not in a healthy mind right now. All around him was a desolate and barren plain that was constantly battered by a raging blizzard. The only distinguishable feature was how open and empty everything was, as if the child had no good memories to draw upon. He frowned a little before closing his eyes and focusing, willing himself to wherever the child was within her mind.

After feeling a slight shift, he opened his eyes, gasping in shock. All around him were massive caves, all made out of ice. Everywhere he saw a flat surface, a different memory played out. He started exploring, noting every memory he saw. Almost every single one was of the hardships Naruto had suffered. Beatings from the other children at the orphanage, as well as some administered by the staff there, being thrown out of almost every store in Konoha, or sold rotten foods at exorbitant prices. The only good memories he could find were focused around the Hokage helping Naruto. Though in his estimation, helping only applied with a very loose usage of the word. He saw one pair of memories that made him recoil in shock and horror. The first was of the Hokage stopping an orphanage worker from hitting Naruto. The second was of the Hokage telling the same worker to 'be more subtle' while Naruto watched in secret. He continued to examine Naruto's memories, growing angrier with each one he saw.

Inoichi was an interrogation specialist, and he knew exactly what he was seeing. It was a technique used on the hardest to break prisoners. They would be given harsh treatment from everybody except one particular person, whom would become their 'anchor' to good events. That person would stop physical tortures, bring them things, or simply talk to the prisoner in a friendly manner. It was conditioning designed to make the prisoner dependent upon someone, until they would do anything to make that person happy. Everything he saw showed that the Hokage had been doing the same to Naruto, carefully orchestrating things to make the child afraid of everyone but the old man, so that they were dependent upon him for anything positive in their life.

He growled under his breath as he seethed with rage. How could anyone do something like this to a child, jinchuuriki or not? He knew how most of the demon containers were treated, and like everyone else in the T&I department, thought it was stupid. You don't abuse someone that has the power to level an entire country like this simply because they will eventually break and do it. What made him the angriest though was the fact that it was done to a child, an innocent little kid that is supposed to be protected from harm, not put through psychological torture to the point where they were dependent upon another person.

A quiet whimper caught his ear, and he turned, trying to locate it. After a few moments, he heard it again; the sound coming from a dark cavern that gave off a sinister and malevolent feel to it. He headed towards the sound, walking carefully with his senses on alert. One of the drawbacks to his techniques was that he could be harmed while in the mind of another person, and everything he saw pointed to the fact that Naruto was most assuredly not in anything remotely approaching a healthy state of mind.

He looked into the shadows, and managed to catch a few glimpses of red eyes with odd symbols on them. Like the doctor, he knew what they were only because of his job. They were the eyes of members of the Uchiha clan that had gained the next step to their dojutsu through the most revolting of methods. The Mangekyou Sharingan could only be obtained by killing someone close to the wielder, either a family member or long term friend. He stepped into the cave, looking over the memories of Naruto being tortured with the Tsukiyomi genjutsu technique. It was a method that the Daimyo had banned Konoha from using against enemies except in the gravest of circumstances, so to see the proof of it being used upon a child showed Inoichi the full extent of what the Hokage had done.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had betrayed Konoha and the Land of Fire in the gravest of ways, just to twist and warp Naruto until the child was his personal slave and weapon.

Inoichi took another step forward, stopping only when he heard a muffled sound of fear come from a corner of the cavern. He looked into the shadows, eyes narrowing until he saw Naruto huddled up as if she was trying to hide. The child hadn't noticed him yet, so he snuck closer until he could hear what Naruto was whispering under her breath. It only took a few seconds of listening to cause him to be noisily sick, the sound drawing a short scream of fear and surprise from Naruto.

Once Inoichi regained control of himself, he straightened to look at Naruto, and what he saw made his heart break. She was backed against the wall as far as she could get from him, her eyes wide in terror as she futilely tried to get through the wall and away from him. Inoichi moved a few steps closer, wincing a little as Naruto grew more frantic in her attempts to escape, but didn't stop until she could see him. His projection into her mind was wearing only a simple pair of pants and a short sleeved shirt with no weapons of any kind. He sat down, holding up his empty hands to show her he was completely unarmed.

"Naruto, I know this is going to be hard for you, but I am not here to harm you. I am here to help you. I was told you were in a lot of pain, and came here to try and help you feel better. I am going to sit right here, and promise not to move at all unless you let me, okay? I just want to talk to you and help you, if you will let me."

Naruto watched him sit down, and listened to his words, her fearful expression never changing until he finished speaking. Unfortunately for him, the change of attitude was from fear to anger.

"Yea, right, like I will believe that. You look almost exactly like the guy that shows up every time I remember something I shouldn't, except with longer hair. Every time I remember something, he shows up and makes me forget it. You're just like him, you're here to mess with me and make me forget what everyone has done to me so I go back to being that cheerful idiot that does whatever they're told. I know better though. If you don't touch me, you can't do it, so all I have to do is keep your hands away from my head."

Inoichi gasped a little before his expression hardened. What Naruto said meant the Hokage had someone from his clan erasing the child's memories every time she remembered something she shouldn't. The blond man vowed silently to find out whoever it was and kill them himself for doing something like that. There were only two people besides him that knew how to erase memories. One was his wife, the other was his cousin. He knew his cousin chafed against the fact that Inoichi was the clan head, and figured this was right up his alley as a way to get into the Hokage's good graces. When he got done here, people were going to die, and he was going to make sure that their last moments were absolute agony. He squared his shoulders and looked Naruto in the eye.

"I swear to you that I will kill the person that was doing that to you. What that person has done is against a great many laws in Konoha, as well as in my clan. Since I am the clan head, I will promise you that when you and I leave here, the very next thing I will do is kill him. I am here to help you, however you need it. Helping you means working through your memories and putting your fear of them behind you, not erasing them when you see something some people don't want you to see. Right now both you and I are inside your mind, which is very dangerous for both of us. I will make a promise to you on my nindo that anything I do will be to help you, and only after I explain it to you. Right now I need you to take my hand so we can leave here and you can get some rest. I will come back to you when you wake up with proof that the person in my clan that hurt you is dead, okay?"

Naruto looked at the blond man for several long moments as she tried to decide if she could trust him or not. People had made her promises before, and then broken them as fast as they were made, but nobody had ever promised on their nindo to her before. She didn't exactly understand what it meant; just that it was something sacred to ninja. With careful and hesitant steps, she moved closer to Inoichi, stopping often to stare at him much like a wild animal would with a human offering them food. After a long half hour where he didn't move at all, she finally drew close enough to touch him, and looked at him with a piercing gaze.

"You promise that you will do that, and they can never hurt me again?"

Inoichi nodded solemnly, which got Naruto to hesitantly hold her small hand out. He took it gently before focusing on the jutsu he used to get into her mind. He withdrew slowly, pulling her out of her memories before ending the jutsu and returning fully to his own body. He let out a groan as his stiff and sore muscles let him know that he had been in her mind for quite some time, and pulled his hand from Naruto's forehead as her eyes fluttered open. She looked at him for a moment before closing her eyes and falling into the oblivion of dreamless sleep that awaited her thanks to the drugs that coursed through her body.

Inoichi left the room, giving the doctor a small nod before heading down the halls to get out of the hospital and back to his bed. Upon exiting the ANBU wing, he turned to look at the two guards stationed there, quickly noting the _'Ne'_ symbol on their masks.

"For your sake, you had better listen to me. There is nobody in the ANBU wing currently, and anybody asking about the child is to be told that you do not know where she is, just that this wing is empty, clear?"

Both of the 'Ne' ANBU nodded to him silently, neither one making a sound. Inoichi turned and left the hospital to get a little bit of sleep before he tore into his clan to find the monster that was hiding among them. His mind raced as he thought about what he had seen, and what it meant for Konoha as a whole. Obviously nothing was as it appeared. The Hokage was torturing a child, and Danzo's ROOT was trying to protect her. All of this would merit careful investigation once he dealt with his clan.

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone!

I know that originally, I was going to split Kurenai's journey and Inoichi's meeting with Naruto up, but I couldn't do a whole chapter of her running around.

I am trying to add more detail to things though, and hopefully the next couple of chapters will reflect that. It's just going to take some time for me to get back into top form with my writing since it's been a while for me, plus I've been RP'ing with people that hate too much detail.

I would like to thank those that left good reviews for me, they really motivated me to get this chapter out sooner rather than later. Please feel free to leave me a review or PM with your thoughts on the story so far, praise and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism are always welcomed.

With that said, please do not review or PM and tell me how to write my story, or what you think should happen. If you want certain things to happen, then write your own story.

As for things to look forward to, after the initial events that set the storyline, I will be doing a time skip. How far...that's a surprise. I will say that it won't be too far ahead, since there is going to be a LOT of character development that focuses on Naruto meeting other children, and time at the academy.

I will also give fair warning, I don't have a rough draft of the story, and where it's going to go. I prefer to free write, taking an idea and simply letting things flow out as they come. One thing I will promise though is that while Naruto will end up stronger than in canon, she will have to face challenges that are going to be a lot harder on her. Not to mention dealing with the after effects of the psychological trauma during her formative years.

Anywho, until next time!

Kayou


	7. Plots and Dojutsu

A/N: Hello everyone! I am sorry this took longer than normal to get done, life happened and all of that.

I wanted to thank dopplerdee, whom pointed out that the fic started in winter, and suddenly ended up in summer time. I will be going back and fixing that flaw later on, and for now will just keep it going in winter time.

This chapter is going to be a little chaotic, as I am getting all of the players together for a great big explosion of chaos and whatnot. I hope you all enjoy my two little twists that I have in here. I think this story is starting to shape up into something rather nice.

Also, for those of you that are curious, I have decided whom Naruto will be paired with. She is going to be paired with someone whom almost NEVER gets any love in fan fics except those dedicated to him specifically, Neji Hyuuga. Though that will not even be starting for at least another ten chapters, maybe twenty.

Anywho, as always: **I OWN NOTHING OF NARUTO!**

* * *

Inoichi let the kunai drop from his hand before placing his hands on his thighs as he leaned forward to catch his breath. Blood was splattered all over his clothes and pooled on the ground where the bodies of the five traitors to his clan laid. He sighed a little, trying to figure out why they would betray the clan and clan laws the way they had. His own brother had been the one that helped the Hokage torture Naruto, and it disgusted Inoichi to no end. He finally straightened, turning to look at his wife and daughter.

"Our clan is on lockdown. Nobody leaves the compound without my permission, not even if the Hokage and ANBU show up. Nobody is to speak to anyone outside of the clan but myself until I say otherwise. Anyone that does not follow my orders will be executed. Go spread the word, I have something to do."

His wife nodded, and ushered their daughter off, ignoring Ino as she started to freak out from seeing her father kill people. She would deal with her daughter's reaction to seeing people die later, right now she had to inform their small clan of what Inoichi had ordered, and why. She knew that dark times were coming, and could only hope that her family made it through them.

Inoichi picked up his bloody kunai, and walked over to his brother's body, kneeling down beside it. He laid his hand on his brother's hair, and let out a sad sigh.

"I only wish I could begin to understand your reasons for what you did, but everything you did violated our clan oaths. You were supposed to help her, protect her from what others were doing, and not make it worse for her. I can only pray that the ancestors forgive you, for I cannot. You will be buried outside of the clan and village, and your name stricken from our records. Our entire clan now owes a debt of honor to a child, and I will be swearing a life debt to her, in the hope that I can repay her with my service for the rest of my life for what you have done to try and destroy hers. I want you to carry this with you into the afterlife, how you cursed our clan, and forced your brother into a life of servitude because of your selfish actions. Goodbye, brother."

With those words, he drew the kunai swiftly across his brother's throat, the dim light that was in his eyes fading as his life stained the snow beneath his body. With a couple of strong strokes, Inoichi severed the head of his brother from his body, setting it off to the side. He rolled the corpses together, piling them up before going into a shed to gather a container of oil. He poured the oil liberally over the bodies, soaking them as much as possible. He went over to his brother's head, pulling out an empty sealing scroll and spreading it on the ground. He set the head in the middle of the symbol before placing both hands beside it and channeling a small bit of chakra. The head vanished in a cloud of smoke, and he rolled the scroll up, tucking it into his vest to give to Naruto later if she wanted it. He stood, staring at the pile of oil-soaked corpses, and shook his head. Today could very well be the last day of the Yamanaka clan. His entire family could end up as servants to Naruto's clan if the child took that option. With a heavy heart, he did a small fire jutsu, setting the bodies ablaze.

Inoichi left the compound, ordering the first member he saw to ensure that the bodies burned fully, his heart heavy. The next several hours would determine the fate of his clan, and whether they remained free, or became slaves to satisfy the honor that five of them had lost.

* * *

Across the village, another clan leader sat beside his daughter. Both of them were gazing out onto the gardens of their compound, sitting side by side. Hiashi Hyuuga sighed a little as he prepared the words for what he had to say. Today his clan would stand openly against the Hokage, and he might not survive it. Finally, he relaxed, and began to speak, letting the words come as they would.

"Hinata, I know I have not been the best father to you since your mother died, and I am sorry for that. In my grief at losing her, I was trying to push you harder and farther so that you would become strong enough that I didn't lose you too. You and Hanabi are all that I have left in this world, and all I have left of your mother. There are things that I must tell you, they are very important. That boy that saved you from those bullies, he is the son of two people I owe a great deal to. Some things happened; the villagers did things that were beyond cruel and heartless. I can only hope that you never learn all of what happened to that poor child, because the knowledge nearly broke me, and I have seen the horrors of war. Those things that happened, they caused something else to happen, and the demon that was locked inside the boy died to keep Naruto alive. I do not know why, but now Naruto is a girl, and looks almost exactly like her mother, except her features are more refined, leaner, and I guess you could even say vulpine. She also has fox ears and a fox tail. I do not know why, but I do not want you to be alarmed by them when you meet her. She has changed, and is no longer the loud and carefree person you remember. She has been broken by the people of this village, and may never be the same again. She may end up insane, or terrified of being around people, or always angry with them. I am telling you this, because I want you to try and be friends with her. You are to spend as much time with her as is possible, and be her friend. I know the Elders forbade you from speaking with Naruto, but I can promise you that they will never be a problem again. So, in a day or a few, I will take you to Naruto, and allow you to do what you can to help the child out. Does that sound agreeable with you?"

Hinata was in utter shock, and fisted her hands in her robes to try and maintain her composure. Her father had never opened up like this to her before, and it almost had her in tears of joy. She was saddened to hear about Naruto, but glad that her friend was at least alive. She smiled just a little at hearing her father's orders to make friends with Naruto properly, and help her out. It sounded like it was just for Naruto's benefit, but it was also for her own, which made her even happier than being told she can have a friend outside of the clan. She paused for a moment, before daring to speak about what she had heard.

"Hai father, I will do as you say. I would ask a favor of you though, if it pleases you; two, actually. The first is that you let me drop the persona you had me starting outside the clan. The second…..is that you wait for one week before you do anything regarding the Naruto situation. I heard you talking, and something in me says we should wait at least a week."

Hiashi regarded his eldest for a few moments. Her mother would sometimes ask things in the same way, and her intuition was almost always for the best. He finally nodded a little.

"I can do that. Though, would you like to go see Naruto now? I am sure she could use a visit from someone that wishes her well, and you and I could enjoy a nice walk around the village, and maybe get lunch while we are out. Actually, I have a very good idea. Shall we go?"

Hinata smiled brightly, overwhelmed with happiness. Her father hadn't taken her on a walk outside the village since her mother had died; this was like a miracle to the child. She stood up quickly, taking her father's hand eagerly as she hoped things stayed like this forever. She followed along with him, humming happily, her pale eyes somehow managing to convey her happiness even as her face remained calm.

* * *

In the Hokage tower, Sarutobi and Fugaku Uchiha were staring at each other over the Hokage's desk. From their expressions, it could be observed that they had just been arguing. All of a sudden, Fugaku's eyes went from the almost black that they normally were, into the red of the Sharingan. For the tiniest moment, a flicker of his fully mature dojutsu could be seen, and then the three tomoe morphed, changing to resemble a five pointed shiruken. He stared at the Hokage, implanting commands into the mind of the older man using a genjutsu known only to a very select few, Kotoamatsukami. Only two people knew he had the Mangekyou Sharingan, and one of those was Danzo. The old war hawk had helped with implanting a portion of the cells from the Shodai Hokage, allowing him to use it more than once every ten years. Fugaku smirked a little as he kept implanting instructions into the Hokage's mind, so the old man will continue to try and force Naruto down the path that he had been using to make the child dependent upon him.

After fifteen minutes, his eyes reverted back to the almost black color they normally were as he leaned back. He bowed a little to Sarutobi, his voice respectful.

"I am sorry Hokage-sama, I spoke out of turn, and got over excited. Perhaps we can discuss this later, when we are both in a better frame of mind? How does lunch tomorrow sound, at my house?"

Sarutobi shook his head a bit, blinking several times to clear the fog in his mind. There was something, a flash of red, but he couldn't remember. He nodded, knowing they needed to work out this issue of how many of the Uchiha were on active duty as Konoha shinobi. He was hoping to get more of them to help take the higher ranked missions that were piling up now that the Wind Daimyo was sending some their way. Finally, he nodded to Fugaku.

"That would be wonderful. I do enjoy your wife's cooking. We will talk about it tomorrow. For now I have to work on what to do about Naruto, I am worried that we have lost a lot of power now, and have to figure out how to get it back. Until tomorrow Fugaku, have a good day."

The Uchiha clan leader left with the dismissal, hiding a smile of satisfaction. Thanks to him, Sarutobi will bungle things up with the Jinchuuriki completely, and he will be able to swoop in and pick up the pieces, making Naruto beholden to him. Unfortunately for him, there were two things that were going to utterly destroy his plans and machinations. The first was a messenger hawk bearing the crest of the Fire Daimyo that was perched on a rooftop nearby, where it could see and hear everything that went on. The hawk took off in a flurry of feathers and snow, silently winging back to its handler to report on what it had seen.

The second wrench in his plans was the two Hyuuga that were walking through the village, carrying several bags containing a variety of ramen from a stand that Hiashi knew Naruto's mother had absolutely loved. Hiashi figured that Naruto would enjoy eating food that wasn't from the hospital. Remembering Kushina's appetite for the stuff, he made sure to get several bowls worth, so that Hinata and he could sit with the child and eat. He was unsure of how things would go, and hoped that Naruto would at least give Hinata a chance to be her friend.

They finally reached the hospital, and Hiashi activated his Byukagen to look for Naruto. The child will always stand out to him, with the amount of chakra she held, along with her extremely unnerving chakra circulatory system. He finally found her, though what the child was doing in the ANBU wing, he had no idea. He shrugged, and tugged on Hinata's hand to get her to follow him. They made their way through the halls, walking past the two ANBU guarding the wing, and finally to Naruto's room. The door was closed, so Hiashi knocked on it gently, not wishing to wake the child if she was asleep. Inside, two voices could be heard, a man's, and Naruto's, both speaking quietly.

Inoichi opened the door a little bit, his eyes widening a little before it opened up all the way. He stepped back into the room, sitting beside Naruto's bed in the chair that he had been in already. He smiled softly at Naruto.

"Naruto, this is Hiashi Hyuuga, and his daughter Hinata. I am not sure why they are here, but I promise you they are good people, and will not harm you. I will stay with you though, okay?"

Naruto looked at the two of them, the expression on Hiashi's face making her nervous, until she saw the shy smile on Hinata's face. She recognized the other girl instantly, remembering her and the bullies from a short time ago. Before she could speak, Hinata stepped forward, and bowed politely.

"I wanted to say thank you for saving me from those bullies. I also wanted to apologize for not being your friend, as you wanted. The Elders of my clan did not like you, and made me stay away. However, my father has taken care of them, and given me permission to spend time with you whenever you want to. He says anyone willing to do what you did shows the heart of a true friend, and that I should not allow others to stop me from being your friend. We also brought lunch to share with you, if you would like."

Naruto listened carefully, and looked at all three of the people in her room, her unease growing little by little. Inoichi saw this, and stood up, gesturing to Hiashi. Hiashi got the hint, and turned to Naruto, his expression softening a little. He set the bags down, pulling out all of the containers of ramen, setting them down on the table.

"Inoichi-san and I will step out, and let you and Hinata talk and eat without us in the way. To show that we mean you no harm, you can pick any two containers, and Inoichi and I will eat from them before we leave you and my daughter to eat what you will."

Naruto looked at Hiashi for a moment, then reached out and tapped two containers, still without saying a word. Hiashi and Inoichi took one each, opening and sipping them to show they were not afraid of poison. Naruto nodded, relaxing visibly as she picked up the disposable chopsticks, setting two pair aside for her and Hinata, and giving the others to the adults. Inoichi and Hiashi slipped out of the room, moving to an empty waiting area to eat and talk about Naruto.

Inside the room, Naruto looked at the containers before taking one at random and opening it. She sniffed curiously, never having encountered this type of food before. She continued to sniff at it for a bit longer, until her hunger got the best of her, and she took a small sip. Her eyes widened, the expression of surprise and awe on her face causing Hinata to giggle a little. Naruto wasted no time in digging into the food, eating eagerly.

Hiashi looked to the room the children were in at hearing his daughter giggle, and smiled just a little. He quickly finished his soup, and looked over to Inoichi.

"I am guessing it is quite bad then, isn't it?"

Inoichi nodded before giving Hiashi a quick rundown of his two trips into Naruto's mind, and how desolate it was each time, and the changes between the first and second trip. He then went into detail about his second trip, finding Naruto in the memories of being literally mind raped by people with the Sharingan, mostly by a particular one that morphed into an odd shape that looked like a five pointed shiruken. Finally, he spoke about the evidence he found after being told by Naruto of members from his clan helping to cover up things whenever her mind had taken too much.

"I found the traitors in my clan, and killed them. I brought my brother's head to Naruto as proof; because I promised her I would make sure they paid for harming a child like they did to her. I told her about my clan's laws, and that we now owed her a debt and that if she wished it, our entire clan would become servants to her. Even after all that she has been through; she actually asked me if I was sure all of the people that went against the clan and hurt her were dead. When I said yes, she absolved us of any debt to her. She only asked if I would be willing to help her learn how to defend herself when she was able to leave here. Though, what really surprised me was when she asked me what all the blue dots on my body were. Somehow, she can see the chakra circulatory system, and even the tenketsu. That's what we were talking about when you came up, the circulatory system and theories of chakra usage. Her mind is simply amazing, she grasps new concepts nearly instantly, and then analyzes them, coming up with questions that even have me pausing before I answer them. I will be honest though, it is going to be a long time before she ever trusts any adults, and she will probably never trust any of the Uchiha clan. She has been well and truly broken, and I fear we may never be able to put the pieces back together."

Hiashi nodded a little at Inoichi's last statement. He was worried about the child after he got the full details of what had happened to her. He could only sit back and listen as Hinata talked quietly, Naruto occasionally making a soft noise for her input.

At the main gate to the village, four travellers stopped to check in. The tallest of them pulled the hood back on his cloak, revealing white hair tied in a ponytail.

"I'm Jiraiya; I left yesterday to meet up with these three, whom are my long lost apprentices, Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato. They're going to be immigrating here to become permanent residents of the city; I'll take them to the old man myself and get it worked out."

The gate guards nodded, and Jiraiya turned to the three teens, smiling. Right as he went to speak, Nagato began walking slowly, heading in the general direction of the hospital. The others followed him curiously, though Jiraiya's attention was grabbed by Nagato's words.

"I can feel it, another one is here. But they're not fully awakened yet. We need to go too them."

He remained silent after that, steadily making his way through the unfamiliar village and the snow until they arrived at the hospital. He went inside, following Hiashi's footsteps from earlier, making his way through the halls like a bloodhound after a particularly interesting scent. As they approached Naruto's room, Hiashi and Inoichi stood up, blocking the door so the ones they didn't know couldn't get it. Both men paused when they saw Jiraiya, Hiashi being the first to speak.

"Jiraiya-sama, what are you doing here?"

The Sannin smiled happily at Hiashi.

"Well, these three are my apprentices. I came across them again, and offered them a home in Konoha since the war I found them in is over. Nagato there seems to be drawn to whoever is in the room though. Who is in there?"

Hiashi sighed a little, knowing that whatever was going on was going to give him a headache.

"My eldest is visiting Naruto; she was moved here after several bad memories were unlocked. Inoichi has been helping her out, but things aren't looking good for her mental health."

Jiraiya nodded a little. He had honestly expected for Naruto to go through a breakdown after the shock wore off, but he had to leave immediately when he got the message from Konan that his three apprentices wanted to join Konoha. Finally, he decided to see what was drawing Nagato to Naruto so badly.

"Hiashi, could you bring Hinata out of the room, Inoichi, I imagine Naruto will want you there while Nagato is in the room. Nagato, do NOT do anything to upset the child, is that understood?"

Nagato nodded as Hiashi drew Hinata out of the room and over to the waiting area, and then followed Inoichi into the room. He bowed a little to the small child in the bed.

"Hello, my name is Nagato. I came here because you have an ability that drew me to you. I promise not to hurt you, and I will sit where Inoichi can easily make sure I do nothing bad, okay?"

Naruto looked at him carefully, her eyes drawn first to his hair, which was an almost exact match for her own in color. He finally looked up into her eyes, and she gasped in surprise, having never seen anything like the Rinnegan before. She looked at Inoichi before nodding a little, which caused Nagato to bring another chair beside the bed, sitting within easy reach of Inoichi. He smiles a little at her, his face seeming to light up with the expression, which drew a small smile from her in response.

"Okay, I am going to stay right here. What I need you to do is to sit in front of me, and stare into my eyes; can you do that for me?"

Naruto nodded a little, moving to sit at the edge of the bed, leaning forward to stare into Nagato's eyes, almost entranced by the odd pattern of rings. Inoichi, unfortunately, was trying not to have a heart attack as seeing the legendary Rinnegan almost in his lap. He sat there, mouth working like a fish out of water, trying to form coherent thought. He glanced at Naruto, just in time to see what many would call a miracle.

Naruto's eyes seemed to suddenly ripple, like the surface of a pond being disturbed by a single drop of water. The bright purple eyes with the demonic slit were slowly overlaid by a pattern of dusty purple rings that matched Nagato's eyes. At the exact same time, Nagato and Naruto blinked. Nagato pulled back, smiling softly.

"Congratulations Naruto, you have the Rinnegan, just like I do."

At Nagato's words, Jiraiya and Hiashi both fainted, hitting the ground with a solid thud. Inoichi just sat there, staring into space as he tried to come to grips with things. After a few minutes, he finally shook himself out of his stupor, and looked at Naruto sadly. He knew the poor child was going to get even more attention now, since she held a kekkei genkai, and more specifically, a dojutsu that was legendary. There were no clear records of the Rinnegan, except that the Sage of Six Paths was known to have it, and it was listed as a Transcendent Bloodline. He got up, and went out of the room to try and wake up Jiraiya, intent on beating the Toad Sage for causing more problems.


	8. Just a Note

Greetings and salutations everyone!

I just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know that this story is not abandoned; I am just dealing with a lot right now and haven't had the inspiration to write on it.

I have started the next chapter, and will hopefully have it up within the week. To make up for the delay, I will shoot for 20k+ words in this chapter, and use it to really do a lot of the set ups for events that will be working through the rest of the storyline.

So, if all goes well, a new chapter will replace this note by Sunday.


	9. The King is Dead, Long Live the King!

A/N: Okay, I DID try to make this longer, but my muse was busy trying to escape her chains again.

I am slowly getting back into writing again, so hopefully I will be picking up the pace on updating, and making decent length chapters. I should (hopefully) be uploading chapter two of A Kitsune In The Halls later today, and will be working on a fic that I was told I could take over last year. (Yea, lots of things been going on...) Hopefully I will have that fic up and going by the weekend, and then I will come back to this one to write the next chapter!

As always: **I OWN NOTHING OF NARUTO!**

* * *

One week passed since Jiraiya brought Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko to Konoha. Naruto is back in her clan compound, and the village seems to be settling down into an uneasy truce between all the factions.

Unfortunately for those that just wanted to live their lives, a disruption was setting itself right outside the gates of the village. This disruption contained several thousand samurai and hundreds of ninja, all of whom wore grim expressions on their faces. One of the ninja went up to the wall beside the gates, hands flying through hand seals so fast that they were a literal blur. As he got within reach of the wall, he finished the chain of seals and placed both hands on the wall, channeling his chakra into a hidden fuuinjutsu seal.

All over the village, ninja and anyone else that used chakra stopped what they were doing as they felt a wash of cold followed by the blocking of their chakra. This caused a feeling of dread to wash through everyone that could feel the effects of the fuuinjutsu as they all started making their way to the gates knowing that this could only be caused by one thing.

The daimyo of Hi no Kuni had arrived.

The ninja that had arrived with the daimyo quickly jumped up on top of the walls that surrounded the village, all of them unaffected by the fuuinjutsu that blocked access to chakra. As they took their positions, the samurai jogged into the village with perfectly matching steps. They fanned out, rapidly spreading through the village until they lined every street in Konoha standing at perfect attention as if they were statues.

Once the village was secured, another group of samurai entered, surrounding a large carriage that was quite obviously well made. There were two people in the carriage. One was a woman with bright red eyes and wild black hair that framed a stunningly beautiful face. Yuuhi Kurenai glanced at the person across from her, still in awe of how down to earth he was. Her travelling companion was the one person that nobody in the Land of Fire would ever dare to piss off, the daimyo of the land.

Said daimyo was quiet, his expression blank and regal. This mask hid the truth of his feelings, which were primarily rage at the people in Konoha. What he had been told by Kurenai had him ready to execute the entire council, the Hokage, and many of the top ninja regardless of how it would weaken the village and his country.

The carriage finally came to a stop in front of the Hokage tower, right in front of the Hokage and his retinue whom were arrayed on the steps to greet the ruler of their country. Kurenai stepped out first, taking a position to protect the daimyo, her crimson eyes roving over everyone carefully. As the daimyo left the carriage, the Third stepped forward, smiling genially.

"Welcome to Konoha, I am sorry that the greeting is not up to your normal standards, but we did not know….

He was interrupted by the daimyo.

"Shut up Hiruzen. You're lucky, damned lucky, that I decided not to kill you on sight. Tell me, what gave you the right to treat a child the way you did, especially the child of two of the strongest shinobi to ever serve this village? I can only hope you haven't ruined them completely and destroyed the potential that was there."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood there, gaping like a fish. Those words saw his plans crumbling around him, and his mind began to work over time, trying to think of a way to salvage the situation. Flickers of red began to flood his vision as he started hyperventilating, trying to work the situation to his advantage. The last thought that crossed his mind was about how heavy his chest felt.

Kurenai watched dispassionately as the aged Hokage collapsed in the street, his heart giving out at the shock to his system. As his last breath sighed from between his lips, she smiled softly, turning her head to glance at the barely visible roof of the Namikaze/Uzumaki compound. She whispered softly to herself, though the words seemed to take a life of their own as they drifted upon the wind and were carried to everyone present.

"The king is dead, long live the king."

Kurenai turned to look at the daimyo over her shoulder, her face expressionless.

"I must go and see to my charge. You know where I will be."

She bows politely before vanishing in a swirl of leaves, moving across the village in a shunshin. She appeared in front of the gates, blinking in surprise. All along the perimeter wall were ANBU. Unlike normal, their masks were plain white with only the kanji for 'Ne' on the forehead. The two in front of the gates bowed slightly before opening them for her to enter. She stepped through to a sight that had her mind going completely blank in shock.

Anko and Naruto were sitting on two slab of rock and meditating. The odd part was that the slabs were balancing on the point of a spear of rock, and both were perfectly still. Watching them was a tall man with shocking red hair that hung to just above his shoulders. His body was concealed by a black cloak that had stylized red clouds scattered across it. He held up a hand as she went to speak, shaking his head in a negative manner as he gestured to the two meditating.

Anko at first looked like she always did, until the light reflected off of her skin in just the right way to reveal the shimmer of super fine scales. This did not alarm Kurenai, since she knew that those ninja graced with a summoning contract could take attributes of their summons in certain circumstances.

What did catch her attention and concern was Naruto. When she had left, the child had two tails and looked like a girl her age should, if they had fox ears and tails. Now she looked to be a few years older, perhaps around ten years old. She also had two more tails, giving her a total of four. This was a bit disconcerting, since what she had been able to find on kitsune said they should gain tails slowly, maybe one every hundred years at most and one every thousand being most common. Something about the rapid increase in power tickled at the back of her mind, but she could not remember it at the moment.

With a shrug, Kurenai sat down where she was on the ground, content to wait for the two to finish their meditations so they could tell her what is going on.


	10. Dango Break

A/N: Greetings everyone!

Yes, I am still alive.

I admit, updates are rather slow, but life is like that. To those that reviewed, thank you! To those that asked me when I'm going to update…well, it's going to be whenever I feel like writing. I can't just decide to write, I have to feel it.

I have had a couple of people ask about the quote I used, "the king is dead, long live the king." Please look it up, it's an interesting bit of history. Sadly, it won't make sense for some time, at least contextually. Hell, a lot of things that are mentioned are only pieces of a bigger puzzle that will slowly assemble as the story progresses.

Some of those pieces will be shown in this chapter, others you will have to wait and see what comes!

As always, I own nothing of Naruto!

* * *

Anko was the first to move, a slight twitch from her body causing the stone slab to fall of the spear and deposit her on the ground with a crash. She stood up, cursing loudly at her failure to maintain the meditation. She finally stopped cursing to look at Naruto with a glower. With a sudden smile on her face, she bends down, picking up a piece of the slab she had been sitting on.

With a deceptively gentle looking twist of her wrist, Anko lobs the fist-sized rock at Naruto's head. The piece of stone whistled through the air fast enough that even many Jounin would have a problem seeing it. Kurenai drew in a breath as it looked like the stone was going to hit Naruto, only to let it out in shock as the air rippled around the stone. The stone was cut into four pieces, all of which flew past Naruto without hitting her.

Naruto opened her eyes, blinking several times before hopping off of the slab, letting it fall to the ground with a crash. She shakes herself to wake up a body that had grown sluggish during the meditations. The unsettling pattern of dusky purple rings rippled before fading into the bright amethyst eyes with a slit in them. Naruto turned to stare at Anko.

"What was that for?"

Anko smirked at the girl with an expression that has sent many Konoha shinobi and civilians running in fear. "It's time for a break, now that Nai-chan is back. Let's go, we're having dango!"

Nagato sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. He moved to Anko and Naruto, pulling a pair of nearly invisible seal tags from their foreheads. As he did so, Anko lost the sheen of scales over her skin, and Naruto lost two of her tails, though she didn't regress back to her proper appearance for her age. With a wave, he gestured for Anko to lead the way before turning to face Kurenai with a bow.

"Hello, I am Nagato. I was brought to Konoha by Jiraiya, and given the task of helping Naruto learn to control her Rinnegan and Sage chakra. Anko has told me about you, and that you were out of the village doing something important. I hope that we can get alon-"

His words were interrupted by a sudden chiming sound. Everyone turned to look at Naruto, whom held the shakujo in her hand once again. She blushed and fidgeted a little.

"I swear I didn't do it! I was stretching and it just appeared in my hand again."

Nagato sighed again as Anko snickered before walking out of the compound, leading the way to her favorite snack stand. As the group left the compound, their progress was marked by the soft chiming of the shakujo as the end struck the ground in time with Naruto's footsteps.

Kurenai looks around as they walk, noting the wide array in the looks they are getting. Some people are smiling at the group, while others have a neutral expression. The last group is what made her nervous. The open hostility in their glares, coupled with hands reaching for anything that can be used as a weapon. She edged closer to Anko, knowing she was not capable of a prolonged fight since she was still recovering from her journey to the capital.

Kurenai's nervous observation was cut off as they reached the dango stand, the cloth flaps that covered the entrance hiding the group from the view of others. Nagato went to the counter, placing their order. A few minutes later, he carries three massive trays over to the table everyone is sitting at, setting the down in the middle. As Anko and Naruto snag the majority of the food for themselves, Kurenai turns to face Nagato.

"Okay, so tell me, what exactly is going on here?"

Nagato sips at his tea before replying. "Well, it's a mess to be blunt. There are three main factions in the village. One hates Naruto even more than before, another doesn't really care, and the third damn near worships her. The entire place is like an explosive note that has been primed, and is ready to blow up at any moment. Jiraiya-sensei is meeting with the various summons to try and figure out what is going on with Naruto, and various groups are trying to either get on good terms with her, or control her.

"I have been training Naruto in a few things, at the suggestion of Jiraiya-sensei, the main focus of which is drawing in and harnessing nature energy. Anko has been working with us as well, and she has progressed amazingly fast. I expect her to fully master sage mode in a few months. Once Naruto has her chakra under control, we will start training her properly, but I am not sure how long it will take. She is very young after all. Most children don't even unlock their chakra until they are at least nine.

"All of this is at the orders of Jiraiya. He is currently with the toads. Apparently they are in an uproar about the kid, and her transformation. There's something to do with ancient legends, and other things. All I can really say for certain is that they said she would have to master nature energy before she can work with her chakra."

Kurenai nodded a little at his words, and went to go say something. Unfortunately, she was interrupted by the trench coat wearing Tokubestsu Jounin. Anko snuggled into her lover with a grin. "Hey, Nai-chan, enough of this boring stuff. Wanna see something really cool? Sure you do!"

With those words, Anko created a shadow clone that appeared out of sight for Naruto. The clone used a Henge, changing its appearance to a random male. The clone slipped off, only to come up behind Naruto, stumbling as if it were drunk. The clone shoved the girl as it insulted her.

"Why don't you leave, fucking demon spawn? Nobody wants you here!"

Naruto used the shove to roll out of her bench seat, coming up with the shakujo in her hands. The finial shifted, rippling for a moment as if it were a desert mirage. The rippling settled down after a moment, revealing a two foot long sword blade on the end of the staff. The blade was double edged, utilizing a hexagonal cross-section. The profile taper is gradual, keeping the edges as a gentle slope from the shoulder to the curvature of the spear-point tip. Like the profile taper, the distal taper is not very pronounced, working along a gradual line down the body of the blade. Overall, it was obviously designed to function equally well as a piercing and cutting tool.

The girl took a stance with the weapon, her body obviously not trained to use the weapon properly. However, the stance is an advanced spear fighting form that can only be used by someone with a lot of training. Her right leg was extended out from her body, stretching out in an almost straight line with her toes pointed at the clone. The tip of the spear follows the same line in a vertical diagonal, with the tip hovering two feet above her right knee. Her body is mostly balanced on her left foot, which is bent underneath her torso to provide a solid balance without sacrificing mobility. Her right hand is on the haft, a foot behind the shoulder of the blade. Her left hand is farther back, sitting above her shoulder and holding the weapon about two feet from the end.

The clone sneers before throwing a sloppy punch towards the girl. The spear moves up, circling outwards than in to strike the clone's wrist from the outside before looping around its arm. With a short lunge, Naruto thrusts the spear forward, stabbing the point of the spear head into the clone's shoulder. With a puff of smoke, the clone disperses, leaving Naruto holding the spear in an awkward position with her lunge extended too far. With a yelp, she falls over to the ground, dropping the weapon as she tries to catch herself.

Naruto gets up with a grumble before bending to pick up her weapon. As her hand closes on it, the spear head shimmers again, reverting to the ringed head of a shakujo. The girl turn to Anko, glaring at her balefully.

"Stop doing that!"

Anko breaks out into a fit of giggles as she turns to look into Kurenai's eyes. "Pretty cool huh? Nagato and Jiraiya-san think it's memories from the fox bleeding through. She's got a long way to go, but right now she's one hell of a fighter if you startle her."

Kurenai sighed and shook her head a little, wondering once again why she thought Anko's antics were funny. She barely manages to keep in laughter of her own as she looks at the expression on Naruto's face. After a moment, she manages to speak.

"Ko-chan, that wasn't nice. I am sure you could have simply told me, and I would have believed you. Why wouldn't I? Everything else is going weird around here, what's one more?"

Off to the side, Nagato sighed and rubbed his face, once again wondering what he did to deserve being stuck with this odd group. He shook his head before snagging another skewer of dumplings, munching on them quietly as Naruto began to rant at Anko in a voice loud enough to be heard blocks away.

* * *

Okay, sorry for the short chapter, but I figure something is better than nothing. I'm trying to get back into the flow of writing, and have a few projects I am doing to help with that.

I know that I am giving Naruto a LOT of power to start off, but there will be an equal amount of ability displayed by the antagonists in this fic. I mean, honestly, they're supposed to be the ultimate bad guys of the ninja world, and everyone gets their ass kicked in the real series. I don't like that, so everyone (at least those that are important) will be getting a significant power boost.

Please review, tell me what you think! Though please, PLEASE, do not ask when I am going to post more chapters. I don't know. I write as the mood strikes me, and this is a casual thing for me. I hope over the next few weeks to have more time to write, and to improve my chapter length, but that's just a hope. We shall see what reality has in store.


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